Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Makinsie Lemley in action for St. Bernard’s against Credo open Tuesday night.

By Ray Hamill — It was a good night for the Little 4 girls, with all three teams in action winning their North Coast Section Division-5 basketball playoff openers on Tuesday.

And that sets up an all-local quarterfinal here in Humboldt County on Friday night.

No. 1 seed St. Bernard’s comfortably took care of business against No. 16 Credo at St. Bernard’s, winning 46-12.

At Ferndale, the No. 8 Wildcats defeated No. 9 Marin Academy 46-35, while No. 7 Hoopa won at No. 10 Head-Royce by a score of 64-51.

St. Bernard’s will now host Ferndale on Friday night at 7 p.m., while the Hoopa girls will play at No. 2 San Domenico on the same night.

San Domenico defeated Redwood Christian 61-31 in the opening round.

The Warriors had to travel for their playoff opener despite being the higher seed, because Head-Royce is a league champion.

But the trip all the way to Oakland didn’t seem to bother them as they took care of business to ensure the Little 4 will make up almost half of the Division-5 quarterfinal field to keep alive the possibility of an all-Little 4 championship game.

Seven different Hoopa players scored in Tuesday’s win, including freshman Wau’Kel Blake, who finished with a team-high 18 points off the bench in her best game of the season.

“She was unstoppable, hustling on defense and taking it to the hole,” Hoopa head coach Floyd “Cowboy” Billings said.

The victory avenged a season-ending playoff loss to Head-Royce last year and was the Warriors’ first ever over the Jayhawks.

Kayla Maples in action for the Crusaders on Tuesday night.

Alyssa Boham

With the win, the Warriors improved to 13-9, while Head-Royce closed out the season 17-6.

The Warriors started slowly and trailed by two at halftime, but they quickly found their rhythm after that, utilizing their team speed and strong defense to knock off the higher seeds.

“We shut them down defensively,” Billings said. “I don’t think they were used to playing a quick team like us. It was Humboldt style basketball.”

Junior Harmony Nelson finished with 10 points in the win, while junior Ivy Lamebear had 12 points and senior team leader Tashee Tracy finished with 11 points.

Rounding out a balanced offensive team performance, freshman Maggie Morris had six points, senior Tahlia Booth had four points and senior Talena Downs-Miguelena chipped in three points.

The Warriors had trouble hitting their free throws early in the game, but picked it up when it mattered late in the game, hitting 8 of 12 attempts in the fourth quarter.

At Ferndale, meanwhile, Reaghan Langer played a key role for the Wildcats in their playoff win.

The senior standout helped her younger teammates overcome a nervous start.

“We were nervous at first, but once we found our rhythm we played well,” head coach Chris Ardrey said. “Reaghan Langer did a great job. She’s just a calming force, and when we get in a rhythm it’s because of her.”

Sophomore Tinnley Pidgeon also was instrumental in the win and finished with a team-high 20 points, while Michaela Ellsmore added 12 points and Langer finished with 10 points.

The Wildcats led by nine at halftime and were able to keep the visitors at bay after that, thanks in part to a good night at the free throw line.

Ardrey and his players know they will have their hands full at St. Bernard’s on Friday.

“We’re going to have to play our ‘A’ game to beat St. Bernard’s,” the coach said.

The Crusaders, meanwhile, quickly took control of their game against Credo and outscored the visitors 19-0 in the first quarter, with all 12 SB players playing in the opening period.

Madelyn Shanahan and Samantha Sundberg each scored a team-high eight points in the win, while Aliyah Vigil added seven points, Sahara Tupua finished with six and Kayla Maples chipped in five points

The SB defense also held Credo scoreless in the third quarter.

Friday night’s game at St. Bernard’s is set for 7 p.m.