Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Action from the Hoopa and McKinleyville JV game on Friday.

It was a disappointing day for some of the local teams at the McKinleyville tournament on Friday on yet another busy day for the H-DNL schools.

The action got under way in the afternoon with a showdown between the Hoopa Warriors and the McKinleyville JVs, with the Panthers prevailing in a close showdown by a score of 36-35.

Later in the day, Cosumnes Oaks beat McKinleyville varsity 72-54, before Arcata lost to Eagle Point in another close game by score of 51-49.

The loss was the first of the young season for the Tigers, who dropped to 2-1, while the Panthers varsity fell to 3-2 and Hoopa remains winless at 0-4.

The three-day tournament concludes on Saturday with three more games.

San Lorenzo plays Hoopa at 1:30 p.m., followed by McKinleyville and Arcata at 3 and Cosumnes Oaks and Eagle Point at 4:30.

Also in action on Friday, the Eureka boys opened the Mt. Diablo tournament with a 73-64 win over De Anza.

Elijah Estrada had a huge night in the win and finished with 30 points and six rebounds as he continues an impressive start to the new season for the Loggers, who improved to 3-1.

Nelson Botzler-Washington also impressed in the win and had 16 rebounds to go with eight points, while Prince Latimer chipped in 13 points.

The Loggers, who improved to 3-1, had to battle for the win after getting down early, but they dug themselves out of a hole and closed within one point before halftime.

The Eureka boys came out firing in the second half and would score 25 points in the third quarter to take a lead they would not relinquish.

Jahmil Rippy and Will Mooney both played huge roles in protecting the lead down the stretch.

The Loggers will play in the tournament championship game at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.

St. Bernard’s will also play for a tournament championship at the Upper Lake tournament after a 75-49 win over Round Valley on Friday.

Brothers Seth and Liam Dyer were outstanding in the win and combined for 48 points, as the Crusaders improved to 2-0.

Seth finished with 27 points, while Liam added 21 points and five rebounds.

“They played some great basketball,” head coach Issac Gildea said of the brothers. “They have a strong connection.”

Luke Brunton added eight points in the win, while Wyatt Simoni chipped in six points.

Freshman Garrett Shanahan continued his impressive start to his varsity career with nine rebounds.

The Fortuna boys, meanwhile, fell 77-63 to Placer at the Harlan Carter Tournament, just one day after defeating Foothill of Palo Cedro by a score of 47-43.

The Huskies got off to a slow start on Friday night and trailed 30-5 at the end of the opening quarter.

Photos by Taunya Brunton – Action from the St. Bernard’s game at Upper Lake.

But they would settle down after that and outscored their opponents in each of the remaining quarters, cutting the lead to as few as 12 late in the game.

Russell Pascascio scored a team-high 16 points in the loss, while Alfonso Medino added 14 points, Kobe Spaulding had 12 and Jace Barsanti and Kallen Barrote each chipped in eight points.

Thursday’s game was a physical, fast-paced showdown.

Pascascio stepped up down the stretch to nail two key free throws in the final minute to help seal the three-point win.

Medina scored a game-high 26 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, while Spaulding added 10 points and Pascascio had seven points and 10 rebounds. 

Barrote played also had a strong all-around game and finished with four points, seven rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a blocked shot.