Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Ferndale’s Reaghan Langer has played a key role for her team this year.

By Ray Hamill — The Ferndale Wildcats will face off against Redding Christian for the second time this season in their NorCal tournament opener on Wednesday night, although this time under very different circumstances.

With the McKinleyville and Arcata girls both losing their state playoff openers on Tuesday night, the Cats are the last H-DN team still competing, as they look to bounce back from Sunday’s North Coast Section championship game loss to Cornerstone.

The Ferndale girls are seeded No. 2 for the NorCal Division-6 bracket and a victory over the No. 7 Lions would secure a place in the tournament semifinals.

The two teams met in tournament play early in the season with Ferndale recording a 50-31 victory, but this matchup will have a different feel, and not just because of what’s at stake.

With a recent change in coaching after head coach Terra Albee stepped away for “personal reasons,” according to the school, as well as some players leaving the team, the Wildcats will go into the big showdown shorthanded.

But new head coach Jamie Ellsmore and her players are not backing down from the the challenge and will be hoping to quickly get back to winning ways.

Ellsmore, however, is looking for the Cats to come out fired up for the game after Sunday’s disappointment.

“We need to pick up our intensity and play our game,” she said. “We need to come out with some kind of fire and we really need to limit our turnovers and protect the ball.”

Since the change in coaching, the Ferndale girls have won two of their three postseason games, all of them at home, and Ellsmore is hoping an enthusiastic home crowd can lift the team to victory once again.

As for the Lions, the coach is expecting a battle.

“They’re a man defensive team and they play mostly give and go,” she said. “But I think if we play with intensity and the way we’ve been playing all season we’ll be okay. We do need to pick up our defense.”

Sunday’s NCS championship was a tough one for the Wildcats, who fell to Cornerstone Christian 75-40.

Clara Christiansen

“They had a soft press and we had a hard time breaking that press,” Ellsmore said. 

One player in particular stood out in the loss, with talented junior Reaghan Langer leading the way.

“Reaghan Langer played really well,” the head coach said. “She was kind of a force down low and she played with a lot of heart. When Reaghan plays well, the team usually plays well.”

Langer is one of just seven players who will suit up for the big game, and the Cats will need all seven to bring their A game if they are to extend their season.

The roster of seven also includes seniors Emily Chavez and Carly Carmesin, junior Clara Christiansen, sophomore Saige Machado and freshmen Tinnley Pidgeon and Michaela Ellsmore.

The game has been moved forward to 6 p.m.