Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Madelyn Shanahan in action for the Crusaders on Thursday night.

By Ray Hamill — The Crusaders have qualified for the Elite Eight of state play in girls basketball after a hard-fought 62-53 win over Lincoln at St. Bernard’s on Thursday night.

The top seeds in the Division-4 NorCal bracket came out fired up for the occasion and took the game to the visitors early on with a dominating performance at both ends of the court.

But there are no easy games at this stage of the season, and with the influential Madelyn Shanahan and Laila Florvilus both in foul trouble in the second quarter the visiting Mustangs came storming back to narrow what had been a 13-point deficit just three late in the first half.

A very good Lincoln team carried that momentum into the third quarter and narrowed the gap to just two early in the period, before the home team got a huge contribution from an unlikely source at the offensive end.

Junior guard Aliyah Vigil, who has been one of the team’s most reliable defensive players all season long, hit three straight baskets to stretch the lead back out to eight and the Crusaders were able to hold the Mustangs at bay the remainder of the game.

“All year we’ve counted on her for her defense,” St. Bernard’s head coach Matt Tomlin said of Vigil who finished with 10 points. “She’s a tough player. She’s always the first player to dive on the floor for a loose ball, but tonight she made some big baskets and I’m really happy to see her have that success.”

Tomlin added that Vigil “continued to play great defense and she brings amazing toughness to our team.”

Despite their early foul trouble, Florvilus and Shanahan once again stepped up to help carry their team to victory.

Shanahan frustrated the visitors early in the game with her dominance on the boards and it wasn’t until she was forced to the bench with three fouls in the second quarter that the Mustangs found any rhythm.

The senior standout finished with 14 points and 16 rebounds and “came out and had a monster second half,” according to her coach.

Florvilus just as productive, and with Shanahan dominating the glass at the defensive end early in the game, the junior guard made the visitors pay at the other end of the floor, scoring 17 points before halftime and finishing with a game-high 27.

Aliyah Vigil

“Laila Florvilus again showed that she’s the best player in the H-DN,” Tomlin said of the junior star, who also had 14 rebounds. “She was just relentless.”

Two nights after playing a key role in the Crusaders’ state playoff opening win over West Campus, freshman Samantha Sundberg also continued to have an impact and chipped in four points.

Tomlin also praised their opponents.

“I’m so proud of the girls,” he said. “That was a very good (Lincoln) team and they were well coached.”

The win sets up a NorCal semifinal against the No. 4 seeds in the bracket, Foothill, at St. Bernard’s on Saturday night at 7 p.m.

“Everybody’s so good (at this stage),” Tomlin added. “Every game is going to be a battle.”

It also keeps alive the hope of an all-local NorCal Division-4 championship game, with the No. 2 seeded Arcata girls also winning their bracket quarterfinal on Thursday with a 56-55 win over Mt. Diablo.