GIRLS POWER RANKINGS — Dick Niclai champs now sit alone at the top

By barstoolfanatics on February 15, 2025 • ( Leave a comment )

Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

By Ray Hamill — North Coast basketball fans got the matchup they’ve been wanting for much of the season in Friday night’s epic Dick Niclai championship game at Lumberjack Arena.

But how does that affect the final Humboldt Sports Power Rankings of the season?

St. Bernard’s and Arcata have been tied atop our rankings for the past three weeks, and as we expected there was little to separate them in Friday’s thrilling matchup.

But when the dust had settled, it was the Crusaders who walked away as tournament champs for the first time in school history, thanks to a big second-half comeback, an outstanding night from senior Laila Florvilus and a clutch game-winning basket by sophomore CJ Figas.

And that means they close out the 2024/25 season as the No. 1 team in the Humboldt Sports Power Rankings.

The Arcata girls, however, are a close No. 2 after an outstanding season for the team, a season that is far from over.

Head coach Charlie Espinoza and his players will now have to regroup and quickly put Friday’s loss behind them as they get set for the upcoming North Coast Section playoffs and a potential return trip to the state playoffs.

As Espinoza told Humboldt Sports after the championship game, his players will use that loss as fuel.