File photo

The Eureka Loggers’ North Coast Section playoff run ended on Tuesday night with a 51-26 loss at Marin Catholic, the top seed in the Division-3 girls bracket.

The Loggers closed out a memorable season with a record of 26-6, which included a Big 5 and Dick Niclai Tournament championship double, as well as a pair of playoff wins

The No. 1 seeded Wildcats, however, dominated in Tuesday’s semifinal.

The Marin Catholic girls came ready to play and quickly took control of the game.

They led 24-10 after the opening quarter and held the Loggers to single digits in scoring in three of the four quarters.

“Marin Catholic came out fast and aggressive and we were the deer in the headlights,” Eureka head coach Cliff Napoleon said. 

The Eureka girls had 23 turnovers in the first half.

Aniah Gaither led the way offensively for the Loggers and finished with a team-high eight points, while Kaitlin Giacone finished with seven points.

It didn’t help matters for the visitors when Giacone was sidelined in the fourth quarter with a knee injury.

With the win, the Wildcats improved to 25-5 on the season and advanced to Friday night’s Division-3 NCS championship game where they will play No. 3 seed San Marin, which defeated No. 2 Pinole Valley 45-27 in Tuesday’s other semifinal.

Four H-DN teams remain in the hunt for a section crown, with all four scheduled to play their semifinals on Wednesday night.

In the Division-4 girls bracket, the No. 6 Arcata girls will play at No. 2 Branson, while No. 5 McKinleyville will play at No, 1 Piedmont.

In Division-6 girls action No. 1 Ferndale will host No. 4 Rio Lindo Adventist, while in the Division-6 boys bracket, No. 3 South Fork will play at No. 2 San Francisco Waldorf.