Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Bode Douglass, left, and Luke Moxon are the Players of the Day after Wednesday’s Niclai semifinals.

By Ray Hamill — Two players who have been leading the way for their respective teams all season stepped up once again on Wednesday night.

In the Dick Niclai boys tournament semifinals at College of the Redwoods, the Arcata Tigers defeated the Hoopa Warriors 68-37 in the first semifinal and the McKinleyville Panthers defeated the St. Bernard’s Crusaders 57-47 in the second semifinal.

Arcata’s Luke Moxon and McKinleyville’s Bode Douglass both played key roles in the wins and that gets them the nod for Humboldt Sports tournament Players of the Day.

Moxon was a Big 5 MVP two years ago as a sophomore, before missing much of last season through injury.

But he’s back healthy again this year and playing like a player who wants to make up for lost time.

Is there a more influential player in the H-DNL this season?

Moxon was in top form once again on Wednesday and scored a game-high 18 points against the Warriors.

Just as important, he helped set the early tone as the Tigers came flying out of the starting gates and quickly took control of the game.

He scored 14 of his game-high tally in the opening half, which was more than all but one other player on the court (his teammate Luke Lemke) managed for the entire game.

Douglass was equally impressive for the Panthers, who had to battle against the Little 4 champs.

The junior standout finished with a team-high 18 points in the win, but his presence was felt in more ways than that.

He helped his team take the initiative early in the game, as the Panthers also started strong and never allowed their opponents close the gap.

And every time the Crusaders started to make a run, it was Douglass or impressive teammate Neil Moon, who was one of our Players of the Day after Monday’s opening round, who seemed to make a big basket for their team to maintain their advantage.

Tournament action continues on Thursday night with the girls semifinals at College of the Redwoods.

Ferndale and Arcata play at 6 p.m., followed by Eureka and St. Bernard’s at 7:30.

Both tournament championship games will take place at Lumberjack Arena on Friday night, with the girls playing at 6 and the boys at 7:30.

We’ll have two more Players of the Day after Thursday’s games.