BIG 5 GIRLS — Eureka’s Giacone, Poteet named Big 5 co-MVPs

By barstoolfanatics on March 14, 2024 • ( Leave a comment )

Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Kaitlin Giacone is a two-time Big 5 MVP.

By Ray Hamill — They have been teammates since the fifth grade and now they’re league MVPs together.

On Thursday afternoon, the H-DNL announced the Big 5 Girls Basketball All-League Team, with Eureka’s Isis Poteet and Kaitlin Giacone named co-MVPs, as voted on by the conference coaches.

Both players played pivotal roles in a season that saw the Loggers win a third straight Big 5 championship and a fourth consecutive Dick Niclai tournament title.

And they were equally important on the way to that impressive championship double.

“We wouldn’t have won without both,” Eureka head coach Cliff Napoleon said. “Both were important to the team in different ways.”

The Niclai championship was the third straight for Poteet, while Giacone is a two-time conference MVP after also winning the award last winter.

“On defense alone you had to contend with KK (Giacone) on top and at the front of our press,” Napoleon added. “If you get by KK, then you have another strong and equally athletic player in Isis to try and score against.”

Not only were they a dynamic duo and inspirational team leaders, but they also complemented each other effectively.

And part of that was their familiarity with each other.

“They fed off each other so well because they’ve played with each other since the fifth grade,” the coach said.

They weren’t the only Loggers named to the all-league team.

Junior Samara Gaither received first-team all-league recognition and also played a key role on the way to the championship double and helping the Loggers make it to the North Coast Section Division-3 semifinals.

Samara Gaither

Two other players who enjoyed an outstanding playoff run were also named to the all-league team.

Arcata senior Nora Talty and sophomore teammate Mae Wolford were honored just one week after their memorable playoff run ended.

Both players helped lead the Tigers to just their second-ever NorCal championship game, where they would eventually fall to St. Bernard’s.

The Tigers were the Loggers’ biggest challengers in league play.

McKinleyville’s Tatum Fisher and Gabby Watson each also were named to the Big 5 All-League Team after leading the Panthers to a third-place finish in the Big 5 and a place in this year’s Dick Niclai tournament.

Del Norte’s Jacalyn Gorbet and Fortuna’s Allie Cox round out this year’s all-league squad.