Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – The St. Bernard’s girls celebrate their NorCal championship at CR on Wednesday night.

By Ray Hamill — Wednesday night’s Division-4 NorCal championship game was a fitting way to close out what was arguably one of the greatest girls basketball seasons we’ve ever seen here on the North Coast.

Playing in front of a sold-out arena at College of the Redwoods and in an atmosphere as electric as any we’ve probably ever witnessed for a girls basketball game here, the Arcata Tigers and St. Bernard’s Crusaders served up an epic and highly entertaining showdown that went right down to the wire.

But after trailing for much of the night, it was the Crusaders who dug deep late in the game, rallying from an 11-point deficit to win 60-54 and claim a third NorCal regional crown in 10 years.

The victory sets up a state final against Grossmont out of San Diego County in Sacramento on Saturday as the Crusaders become just the second-ever team from the H-DNL to get to play for a true state championship and the first since the Hoopa boys in 2000.

“I’m so proud of my girls,” St. Bernard’s head coach Matt Tomlin said. “That was a big-time performance by them in the fourth quarter. They just showed the heart and courage and passion they have played with all season.”

There was little to separate the two teams in the first half, with the Crusaders opening up an early five-point lead, before the Tigers battled back to take a three-point lead heading into the second quarter.

The Big 5 team would hold a slender lead for much of the second quarter and had a five-point advantage going into the break.

They carried that momentum into the third quarter and stretched the lead to double digits just three minutes in, thanks in large part to some big-time 3-pointers along the way by senior Nora Talty and sophomore Tae Wolford.

After losing both previous matchups against the Crusaders this season, the Arcata girls looked determined to get the better of their league rivals this time around and a nine-point lead going into the fourth put them on the verge of securing a first-ever NorCal title for the school.

But this Crusaders team certainly doesn’t lack belief and they were just getting warmed up.

The fourth quarter belonged to the top seeds in the bracket and they quickly began to narrow the gap.

The ever-dangerous Laila Florvilus and Madelyn Shanahan once again played a pivotal role in the comeback, and the SB girls opened the quarter on an 8-0 run to pull within one.

The Tigers were unable to answer and were held to just one field goal for the period.

By then the momentum had shifted and the Crusaders would not be caught.

There were several reasons for the late comeback, including the play of one senior in particular.

“In the fourth quarter we brought Hannah Finck in and Hannah really settled our defense down,” Tomlin said. “She got people in the right place and she kind of quarterbacked our defense in the fourth quarter.”

Freshman Samantha Sundberg also played a key role down the stretch as she continues her outstanding debut campaign at the high school level.

Sundberg scored nine of her 11 points in the fourth quarter, including an inspirational 3-pointer two minutes in, which was her team’s first 3 of the night and a shot that lifted her teammates, as did an enthusiastic St. Bernard’s crowd.

“I thought when Samantha hit that big 3, everybody thought we can do this,” Tomlin said of the standout freshman, who also drained a couple of clutch free throws to help ice the win in the final 30 seconds and scored her team’s final six points of the game.

There were two other big reasons for the late comeback.

“Then Laila and Maddy took over,” Tomlin said. “They’re just so special and they complement each other.”

Florvilus finished with a game-high 27 points, while Shanahan added 19 points and dominated the paint on the defensive end once again with some tenacious rebounding.

Along with Talty, twin sisters Tae and Mae Wolford were hugely influential for the Tigers, who were the No. 2 seeds in the bracket and were playing in a NorCal final for the just the second time in school history.

Tae scored a team-high 17 points, including four 3s, before fouling out midway through the fourth quarter.

Three of her 3s came in the third as the Tigers began to take control.

Mae Wolford and Talty each added 13 points, including a pair of 3s by the latter, while Addison Wingate closed out a memorable playoff run for her and her team with six points.

“I want to give a shoutout to Arcata,” Tomlin said. “I have a lot of respect for coach (Charlie) Espinoza and the job he’s done, and Nora Talty. 

“She had a tremendous high school career. She’s one of the toughest players I’ve ever coached against.”

The real winner on the night was H-DNL basketball, which had two teams face off against each other in a NorCal final for the first time ever.

And the packed house responded to the effervescent effort of both teams, who gave it their all on a night that will go down as one of the most memorable ever in league history.

“What an environment tonight,” Tomlin said. “That was a celebration of basketball in Humboldt County.”

Saturday’s Division-4 state final tips off at 10 a.m. and a victory for the Crusaders would secure a first-ever true state championship for the H-DNL.

On Wednesday, they became the first-ever H-DNL program to win three NorCal championships and on Saturday they’ll look to follow that with some more history.