Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Mallorie Beauchamp in action for the Loggers on Friday night with head coach Cliff Napoleon looking on.

The Eureka girls got conference play off to a winning start with a 50-21 win over Del Norte in girls basketball on Friday night, as they played their first-ever game at the new Jay Willard Gymnasium.

The Loggers, who are two-time defending conference champs, quickly took control of the game and led 19-4 after the opening quarter.

The visiting Warriors settled into the game in the second quarter but never really threatened the lead thanks to some strong defense by the host team, which allowed just eight points in the second half.

“We played with good intensity, especially in the second half,” Eureka head coach Cliff Napoleon said. “We gave up a few easy buckets in the first half, but it was all correctable errors. Easy fixes that the girls did in the second half.”

Samara Gaither scored a game-high 19 points in the win, while senior teammate Isis Poteet finished with nine points.

Tiara Maualuga and Kaitlin Giacone each finished with six points.

The Loggers had dropped two of their previous three games heading into conference play.

With the victory, the Eureka girls improved to 1-0 in the Big 5 and 13-3 overall.

The loss was the second in three days for the Warriors, who also lost at McKinleyville in their Big 5 opener on Wednesday.

Jacalyn Gorbet scored a team-high 10 points for Del Norte, which dropped to 0-2 in conference and 12-4 overall, while Lauren Stutes added four points.

In other Big 5 games on Friday, the McKinleyville Panthers took over sole possession of top set in the conference standings with a 53-23 win over Fortuna.

Next up, the Loggers will host Fortuna in another Big 5 showdown on Wednesday.

The Warriors, who have a league bye on Wednesday, will try to get back on track when they host Hoopa in a non-league game on Tuesday.