File photo – Neil Moon

Neil Moon led the McKinleyville Panthers back from an early deficit in their Dick Niclai tournament opener on Monday night to set up a semifinal showdown against St. Bernard’s for the second straight year.

Moon, who is enjoying an outstanding campaign in his first year with the Panthers, scored a game-high 25 points as the Big 5 No. 2 seeds overcame a sluggish start to the night on their way to beating the Eureka Loggers 67-44.

The Panthers trailed 18-9 after the opening quarter but would outscore the Loggers 58-26 the remainder of the way.

“Our guys showed some great resiliency after going down 18-9 in the first quarter,” McKinleyville head coach Chris Davis said. “They were challenged by us and they answered the call with a fantastic defensive effort the rest of the game.”

Moon helped set the tone for his teammates at both ends of the floor.

“Neil was lights out tonight and continued to mix in his inside game with his outside game very well, along with getting us in rhythm on the offensive end,” Davis added. 

Team leaders Bode Douglass and Cole Armstrong both also impressed in the win.

Douglass scored 20 points, while Armstrong added 11 points.

“Bode and Cole showed some great leadership tonight,” Davis said after the game. “They are clearly locked in from the get-go and when things got tough in the first they responded well and got us back in our groove early in the second.”

Elijah Estrada scored a team-high 12 points for the Loggers, while teammate Will Mooney added 11 points.

Both players helped key the fast start for the visitors.

“Our energy was right where we wanted it to be and we had momentum,” Eureka assistant coach Andrew DeHart said of the impressive start.

File photo – Bode Douglass

However, an issue at the scorers table delayed the start of the second quarter by about five minutes and that seemed to take the Eureka players out of their rhythm.

“Our guys had a hard time finding that energy following that break,” DeHart added.

Trenton Gerber added eight points for the Loggers, and Xavier de La Rosa finished with seven points.

DeHart also praised the contribution of Moon.

“Neil Moon from McKinleyville caught fire and helped propel them into the lead,” he said of the McKinleyville guard. “In the second half we had a hard time finding our rhythm, and their stifling defense caused us to settle for some shots.

“Coach Davis, his staff and the group of guys over at Mack are tenacious and skilled. Give them a lot of credit.”

File photo – The Eureka Loggers

Ray Turner Jr., also had a good game for the Panthers, who earned the No. 2 seed for the tournament after finishing second to Arcata in the Big 5.

“(He) played really well tonight on both ends of the court, making a few floaters and then brought that intensity on defense he does so well,” Davis said of the junior standout. 

Unfortunately for the Panthers, Turner suffered a knee injury late in the game and the coaches say they will be monitoring the situation ahead of the semifinal showdown.

That game will take place on Wednesday night at College of the Redwoods, with tip off set for 7:30 p.m.

The Loggers will now turn their attention towards next week’s North Coast Section playoffs, with the seeds and brackets set to be announced this weekend.

“Although we’re disappointed to not have a chance to move on in the Niclai tournament, we’re ready to learn from our mistakes and are focusing on the way our team played in quarter one tonight,” DeHart said. “It was a glimpse of what we’re capable off and we’re planning to bring that energy and discipline play with us into our next game.”

File photo – Will Mooney