By Ray Hamill — The Eureka girls will get a rematch with St. Bernard’s in Friday night’s Dick Niclai tournament championship game after comfortably taking care of business in Wednesday’s semifinal.

Playing in front of a large crowd at College of the Redwoods, the Loggers beat Hoopa 62-36.

Several players stepped up for Eureka in the win, as head coach Cliff Napoleon went deep to his bench.

Seniors Kaitlin Giacone and Isis Poteet continued to impress in the win, which was the team’s 21st in 25 games this season and their 10th in 11 games against H-DNL opposition.

Samara Gaither also had a big game in the win.

Check out some of the second-half highlights above …

Friday’s championship game will take place at Cal Poly Humboldt’s Lumberjack Arena, with tip off set for 6 p.m.

The Loggers will be looking to avenge an earlier loss to the Crusaders — 47-42 at St. Bernard’s on Jan. 20 — while also trying to make a little Dick Niclai history.

The Eureka girls are the three-time defending tournament champions and will be hoping to join Arcata and McKinleyville as the only schools to have won at least four straight tournament titles.

The Loggers defeated Fortuna in thrilling fashion in 2020, just a few weeks before COVID forced a shutdown of local sports, and they also prevailed in the Niclai tourney in 2022 and 2023.

There was no tournament held in the shortened 2021 season because of the pandemic.

The recent dominance is even more remarkable when you consider the Loggers had won just one prior championship in the first 25 years of the tournament.

The Arcata girls won four straight Niclai tournaments from 1999 to 2002 and six straight from 2013 to 2018.

McKinleyville won four straight tournaments from 2009 to 2012 and dominated the event for the best part of a decade, with only Fortuna in 2008 preventing them from winning eight straight from 2005 to 2012.

Eureka previously won in 2004.

Friday’s championship will be broadcast live on The Beat 95.1 FM.

Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Jeralyn Miller in action for the Loggers on Wednesday night.