File photo – Seth Dyer

There’s still a long way to go in this year’s Little 4, but the St. Bernard’s Crusaders made a statement with a dominating performance in their league opener in Miranda on Thursday night.

In what was a pivotal early boys basketball showdown, St. Bernard’s dominated two-time defending Little 4 champs South Fork on the way to a 62-35 victory.

Also on Thursday night, the Hoopa Warriors got their league campaign off to a winning start with a 51-45 victory over Ferndale in Hoopa.

Seth Dyer scored a game-high 19 points for St. Bernard’s and was equally effective on the defensive side of the ball while containing South Fork’s leading offensive threat Tommy Rotbergs, who was held to just nine points.

The win was the fourth straight for the visitors, who improved to 1-0 in the Little 4 and 10-2 overall.

Senior Rowan Cromwell also had a big night for St. Bernard’s and continues to have a big impact with his new team after transferring from Arcata this season.

Cromwell added 17 points, while Liam Dyer finished with nine points and Aaiden Burris chipped in seven points.

The Crusaders came out fired up for the game and quickly took control while opening up a 21-5 lead before the end of the first quarter.

The Cubs would narrow the gap to 11 by halftime, but the visitors ensured there was no back for the home team and ended the game as a contest with a big third quarter that saw them outscore the Cubs 13-6.

Shevy Bero-Van Meter was one notable bright spot for the Cubs and the senior guard finished with a team-high 15 points, including four 3s.

“I think Shevy was our best player tonight. He really came to play,” South Fork head coach Taylor Morrow said. “But it felt like the rest of us were a little shocked by how hard and how physical St. Bernard’s was playing.

“And their style of basketball was just better than our style of basketball.”

The loss ended a three-game winning streak for the Cubs, who dropped to 12-4, but Morrow believes his players can benefit from it.

“I am grateful for the loss because now we have a lot to learn from and improve on and we look forward to our next matchup,” Morrow said.

File photo – The Hoopa Warriors defeated Ferndale 51-45 on Thursday night.

At Hoopa, meanwhile, the host Warriors won for the sixth time in seven games and improved to 6-6 on the season.

There was little to separate the two league rivals for much of the night, with the Cats holding a slender three-point lead at halftime.

The two teams were tied going into the fourth quarter, but the Warriors would outscore the Wildcats 14-8 for the period to take the victory.

Neil Moon led a balanced Hoopa offense and finished with a team-high 12 points, while Brandon Romero added 10 points.

Sequoia Valentine, Brian Richards, Tristan Billings and Malakai McCoy each chipped in six points for Hoopa, while Carlos Anzora added five points.

No final stats were immediately available for the Ferndale boys, who dropped to 3-7.