Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – St. Bernard’s Samantha Sundberg hit three 3-pointers in the second quarter to help her team take control of the game on Tuesday night.

By Ray Hamill — Freshman Samantha Sundberg had a state playoff debut she won’t easily forget.

On Tuesday night, Sundberg helped lead No. 1 seed St. Bernard’s to a 55-39 win over No. 16 West Campus in the Division-4 CIF NorCal playoffs at St. Bernard’s.

The victory sends the Crusaders on to a Thursday night quarterfinal against No. 8 seed Lincoln out of San Francisco, which will also be held at St. Bernard’s.

Sundberg, who has played a pivotal role all season for the SB girls despite her young age, helped the home team take control of the game with three of her four 3-pointers coming in the second quarter.

The Crusaders enjoyed the better of exchanges in the opening quarter and they opened up a seven-point lead a little over five minutes into the game.

The visitors, however, quickly shook any rustiness after a long drive from Sacramento and closed out the quarter with a couple of key baskets to pull within three.

But both teams would struggle to score in the second quarter, with one notable exception.

With her teammates unable to find their shooting touch, Sundberg scored all of her team’s points in the period, as the Crusaders outscored the visitors 9-2 for the quarter and held them to just two free throws.

The Crusaders would hold the Warriors at bay the remainder of the game.

They led by nine after three quarters and outscored their opponents 11-5 in the fourth to seal the win.

In addition to Sundberg, the SB defense also played a key role in the win, as did senior Madelyn Shanahan and junior Laila Florvilus.

“The amazing Lady Crusaders played tremendous team defense against West Campus’ two outstanding guards,” St. Bernard’s head coach Matt Tomlin said. “So proud of these ladies.”

It was also a nice response to last week’s disappointing North Coast Section semifinal loss to Cornerstone Christian.

Florvilus scored a team-high 21 points, Sundberg finished with 14 and Shanahan added 12 while making her presence felt in the paint.

Aliyah Vigil also had four points in the win, as St. Bernard’s improved to 26-5.

The victory also keeps alive the chance of an all-local NorCal championship game, with the No. 2 seed in the bracket, Arcata, also winning its state playoff opener at home against Bear River.

The Tigers won 51-48.