Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

By Ray Hamill — It’s safe to say it was a good week for the St. Bernard’s Crusaders, in more ways than one.

And they’re not done yet.

On Wednesday, the SB girls won a thrilling all-local Division-4 NorCal final in front of a packed house at College of the Redwoods, defeating Arcata 60-54.

It was the program’s third NorCal championship in 10 years and with it the Crusaders become the first-ever girls basketball team to advance to  a state championship game.

And that arguably wasn’t even the most impressive part of it all.

While the girls gave it their all in an intense and physical battle out on the court, the school’s students, teachers, administration and fans showcased their incredible support in the stands, helping to inspire their players to victory.

The entire school deserves credit for this one, and that makes St. Bernard’s Academy one of our teams of the week.

And that’s not all.

St. Bernard’s freshman Samantha Sundberg gets the nod for our athlete of the week after a couple of huge playoff performances this week.

The young Sundberg was outstanding in the fourth quarter in Monday’s semifinal win over Foothill and was even better in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s championship game, lifting her team and inspiring her teammates with a composed performance well beyond her young years.

Senior Madelyn Shanahan and junior Laila Florvilus have each been outstanding all season and there’s no doubt they are the heart and soul of this year’s St. Bernard’s team.

But the wouldn’t be playing for a state championship without the play of Sundberg this week.

Our second team of the week is the McKinleyville Middle School eighth grade boys, who have been every bit as impressive as the Crusaders this season in their own way.

The Comets closed out their basketball season last weekend with a Jaycees Tournament championship in Crescent City, capping a second straight undefeated campaign for this group of players.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK 

Samantha Sundberg

St. Bernard’s Basketball, Sophomore

Sundberg is making a habit of hitting big-time pivotal 3-pointers just when her team needs it the most.

She did so late in Monday’s win over Foothill and she was at it again in Wednesday’s NorCal final, helping to kickstart a late rally that saw the SB girls come from 11 points down to beat Arcata by six.

The freshman standout scored nine of St. Bernard’s 20 fourth-quarter points in the come-from-behind victory, including their final six points of the game, and she showed her composure with a couple of key free throws in the final 30 seconds.

The rest of the H-DNL had better watch out for the next three years.

TEAMS OF THE WEEK 

St. Bernard’s Academy

The Crusaders are on a roll right now.

The entire school, that is.

Their collective performance on Wednesday was a thing of beauty, from the players on the court, to the coaches on the sideline, to the fans in the stands and the administration.

Wednesday night was a wonderful celebration of girls basketball in this community and a fitting tribute to an entire school, and hopefully, they’re not done just yet.

Submitted photo

McKinleyville Middle School Boys Basketball

The St. Bernard’s girls wren’t the only basketball team to impress this week, or this season for that matter.

Over the weekend, the McKinleyville Middle School boys basketball eighth grade team capped another outstanding season with a second straight perfect campaign, going 3-0 at the 55th annual Jaycees tournament in Crescent City and finishing the season 27-0.

The team of Trevor Marsh, Talon Turner, Jake Brunner, Becker Rine, Hacher Matson, Tate Saso, Jeremiah Dillard, AJ Esposito, Dash Clare, Issac Rousse, Connor Tatman, Robert Pool and Nii-li Smith was coached by Chris Shaw, Brady Burtchett and Ray Turner.

For more on their big week, see Mack boys cap perfect season with Jaycees championship …