Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

By Ray Hamill — The Hoopa Warriors are preparing for one of their most important games of the year, as they look to close out the 2023/24 girls basketball season strong.

It has been an up-and-down campaign for the Warriors, who lost three of their opening four games before going on a seven-game winning streak and following that with three straight losses.

That recent losing streak included back-to-back conference defeats against Ferndale and St. Bernard’s, the former of which was decided on a buzzer beater.

After getting back on track in a 79-22 Little 4 win at South Fork last week, however, head coach Floyd “Cowboy” Billings believes his team will close out strong, beginning with a key matchup at home to Ferndale on Thursday.

That’s a game that could go a long way toward deciding second place in the Little 4 and a home game in the opening round of the Dick Niclai tournament.

The Warriors’ final four games of the regular season also include home matchups against McKinleyville (Saturday) and South Fork (Feb. 1) and an away game at St. Bernard’s (Jan. 30).

“We can beat any of the lineup coming up,” the coach said. “We just have to play our game.

“I do believe if we play our game, we’re capable of beating any of these teams.”

The key for the Warriors is getting back to what they do best, something they got away from at Ferndale.

“At Ferndale we shot a lot of 3s and that’s not our game,” Billings added. “We want to get the ball into (center Tashee Tracy).”

Tracy has been key for the Warriors all season long and will be again down the stretch run.

The senior standout leads the team in scoring (17.4 points a game) and rebounds (7.1 a game).

Juniors Ivy Lamebear and Harmony Nelson both also have impressed and will need to be at their best if the Warriors are to finish out strong.

The Hoopa girls are currently ranked No. 7 in North Coast Section Division 5, according to MaxPreps, a bracket that has a prominent Little 4 presence.

The St. Bernard’s girls are the top-ranked team in the division, with Ferndale just one spot behind Hoopa, despite the Cats’ win over the Warriors.

The three Little 4 rivals also feature among the top teams in the state in Division 5, with St. Bernard’s currently No. 2 — trailing only Pinewood — Hoopa No. 9 and Ferndale No. 14.

That suggests whichever teams come out of the section — the top four teams will move onto the NorCal tournament — could make some serious noise in the state playoffs as well.

Including possibly the Hoopa Warriors.