Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Laila Florvilus

By Ray Hamill — The St. Bernard’s girls sent a message to the rest of the H-DNL this week, as they continue to build momentum ahead of next month’s Dick Niclai tournament.

With victories on the basketball court over the top two teams in the Big 5, the Little 4 leaders are positioning themselves nicely to compete for a first-ever Niclai championship.

And judging by this week’s performances, not too many local fans would bet against them achieving that.

And that makes them our choice for team of the week, an award sponsored as always by College of the Redwoods Athletics.

Under the guidance of head coach Matt Tomlin, the impressive Crusaders have lost just twice all season and they have now beaten all four Big 5 schools they have faced (including going 1-1 against the Del Norte Warriors, who handed them one of their only two losses back in December).

And that’s not all of the good news for the Crusaders.

After outstanding performances in both of this week’s wins, junior Laila Florvilus is one of our athletes of the week.

The reigning co-MVP of the Little 4, Florvilus has taken her game to new levels this winter and she continues to be a force for the Crusaders and a player every opponent has to account for at both ends of the court.

Florvilus scored 26 points in a 47-42 win over Eureka on Saturday and followed that with 16 points in a 49-41 win over Arcata on Tuesday.

Our second athlete of the week is College of the Redwoods sophomore Trey Neff, who enjoyed a milestone achievement on Wednesday.

Neff, who was an all-state selection as a freshman, became just the fourth player in program history to score 1,000 career points for the Corsairs.

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

Laila Florvilus

St. Bernard’s Basketball, Junior

Florvilus has been a force for the Crusaders all season long and is averaging close to 20 points a game this season.

Her coach has no doubt how important she is to the team.

“I’ve been saying Laila Florvilus is the best player in the H-DN and she showed it tonight,” Tomlin said after Saturday’s win over Eureka. “She willed us to victory. She just means so much to our team on offense and defense.”

For more on her big week, see Crusaders knock off B5 leaders with a statement performance …

Trey Neff

College of the Redwoods Basketball, Sophomore

In his second year playing for the Corsairs, Neff has already secured his place among the program’s greatest ever players.

With an early 3-pointer in a 93-73 win over Siskiyous, the Oregon native surpassed 1,000 career points with the team.

“Trey’s accomplishment tonight was so special,” head coach Ryan Bisio said. “Even amidst such a monumental feat, his focus remained on winning the game.

“The 1,000 point club is elite status in any program. He’s a hall of fame talent and we’re honored every day he steps in this gym.”

For more on Neff’s big night, see Milestone night for Redwoods star, as Corsairs bounce back …

TEAM OF THE WEEK 

St. Bernard’s Girls Basketball

No local basketball team, boys or girls, has impressed quite as much this winter as the Crusaders.

The SB girls are 19-2 on the season and have the best record of any H-DNL team, boys or girls, as we head toward the business end of the season.

The Crusaders are closing in another outright Little 4 championship, and they have eyes on a first-ever Dick Niclai tournament championship as well as making some serious noise in the North Coast Section and state playoffs.

They are ranked No. 86 overall in the state, according to MaxPreps, which is a remarkable achievement for such a small school, as well as No. 2 in the state among Division-5 programs and No. 1 in NCS Division 5.

In addition to the outstanding Florvilus, senior Madelyn Shanahan, who is the reigning co-MVP of the L4 along with her junior teammate, gives the Crusaders a potent one-two punch.

Several other players are also making big contributions to the success of this year’s team, including impressive freshman Samantha Sundberg and junior defensive specialist Aliyah Vigil, while players like Jocelyn Sundberg, Ella Hart, Sahara Tupua and Hannah Finck all are finding their best form at an opportune time.

For more on their big week, see Impressive Crusaders beat another Big 5 team, go to 18-2 …