File photo – The Eureka Loggers

The Eureka Loggers responded well to an overtime loss on Friday night by closing out the Enterprise tournament with a 55-52 win over University Prep on Saturday afternoon.

Less than 12 hours after losing to the host school in the tournament semifinals, the Loggers quickly got back to winning ways with another strong performance in the third-place game.

The Eureka boys overcame a slow start to the game that saw them trail early 7-0, as they improved to 11-2.

“It was a tough one,” Eureka assistant coach Andrew DeHart said. “We started a little slow and they jumped out on us, but our guys stayed focused.

“We knew coming off an overtime game (on Friday night) we might take a little bit of time to get into our rhythm.”

The Loggers settled into the game with some of the seniors leading the way, including the influential Will Mooney.

Mooney scored a team-high 14 points, including four 3-pointers, and added three rebounds and a pair of assists.

“Will Mooney shot the ball well throughout and that allowed us to open up the middle,” DeHart said.

Elijah Estrada, who has been one of his team’s most consistent players all season, also had a big game and finished with a double-double.

Estrada scored 12 points and had 13 rebounds as well as three assists.

“Elijah Estrada continued to a great job,” DeHart said.

Trenton Gerber also impressed and finished with nine points six rebounds and three assists, while Makai Denon added six points and six rebounds.

The seniors played key roles and displayed their leadership, in particular Mooney, Estrada, Dennon and Gerber.

So too did the always dangerous Ryder Mitchell, who “battled down low,” according to the coach.

The Loggers tip off the big 5 at McKinleyville on Wednesday night.

Del Norte 73, Lassen 46

After opening the Enterprise tournament with back-to-back losses on Thursday and Friday, the Warriors returned to winning ways in their tourney finale on Saturday afternoon.

With the win, the Del Norte boys improved to 12-4 on the season as they get set for a tough opening week in the Big 5 with road games at co-defending champions Arcata (Wednesday) and McKinleyville (Friday).

“It was a rough tournament for us, but we rallied to win today,” Del Norte head coach Cris Rice said. 

Michael Webster led the Warriors at the offensive end and scored a game-high 20 points, as well as dishing out five assists.

Fellow senior Aidan Rice also impressed and added 17 points and a team-high four assists.

Overall, it was a composed performance from a team that is expected to challenge for the Big 5 title this winter.

“Our kids played well,” Cris Rice added. “We had low turnovers and we turned them over a lot.”

Danner Dowd also impressed and added eight points to cap a good day for the Del Norte seniors, while sophomore Damian Escalera chipped in seven points and Justin Cushman finished with six points.

Ryan O’Laughlin added six rebounds, while Kenan Horton had five rebounds.

Returning all-league senior Lyon Rigden saw just limited minutes after picking up a slight injury in Friday’s game, but he is expected back in the lineup for Wednesday’s conference opener.

Hoopa 98, Plumas Charter 64

The red-hot Warriors closed out three impressive days at the Etna tournament with their third win in tourney play on Saturday.

The win was the fourth straight for the Warriors and their 10th in 11 games, as they improved to 11-3.

The high-flying Hoopa boys started strong and scored 28 points in the opening quarter to lead by 12.

And after that there was no way back for Plumas Charter, as the Warriors outscored their opponents in all four quarters.

Ish E-Kor and Lyle McKinnon each scored a team-high 18 points in the win, while teammate Brandon Romero finished with a double-double, scoring 11 points and dishing out 10 assists.

Brian Richards also had a double-double in the win, finishing with 12 points and 15 rebounds, while the sharpshooting Malakai McCoy added 15 points, including hitting on five of eight 3-point attempts.

E-Kor also had six assists, while McKinnon had five.

The Warriors open conference play at home against South Fork on Friday night.

Enterprise 65, McKinleyville 54

The Panthers saw their four-game winning streak come to an end in the final of the Enterprise tournament on Saturday.

After a slow start, the Mack boys came storming back but were unable to ultimately close the gap.

“We unfortunately dug ourselves a big hole in the first half due to some defensive miscues, great shot-making from Enterprise, and me not adjusting quick enough before halftime,” McKinleyville head coach Chris Davis said. 

The coach, however, was happy with the way his players battled back after the break.

“Really proud of our guys on how we responded coming out with heart and toughness in the second half,” Davis added. “We really had some great momentum after a huge dunk by Cole (Armstrong) and then just didn’t convert in the right moments to really push it closer at the end.”

Bode Douglass scored a team-high 12 points in the loss, while Armstrong also continued to impress and added 11 points.

Henry Turner IV and Neil Moon each chipped in eight points.

With the loss, the Panthers dropped to 11-6.

They will open conference play at home against Eureka on Wednesday night.