Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Tiara Maualuga in action for the Loggers on Tuesday night.
By Ray Hamill — The H-DNL girls teams fared better than the league’s boys teams in the opening night of the North Coast Section basketball playoffs on Tuesday.
While three of the four boys teams in action lost their openers, two of the three girls playing are marching on to the weekend quarterfinals.
At Eureka High, the Loggers handled a quality Washington team and won their Division-1 game 39-36, while in Division 3 the Fortuna girls put a disappointing conference campaign behind them with a comfortable 47-29 road win at Kelseyville.
The Arcata girls also were in action in Division 1 and fell 48-41 to Montgomery at Arcata High.
The Eureka girls got off to a fast start and led 14-3 late in the first quarter before the visitors settled into the game.
The fast start would prove crucial in what was ultimately a one-possession game.
The early advantage could have been even bigger but for several turnovers.
“(We) edged a good Washington team,” Eureka head coach Cliff Napoleon said. “Mistakes made it closer than it should have been, but glad to be moving on.”
The visitors, who were seeded No. 13, would outscore the No. 4 Loggers 15-10 in the second quarter to pull within four at the break, but the Eureka girls would maintain their advantage in the second half and held on for a hard-fought victory.
Tiara Maualuga scored a team-high 13 points in the win, while teammate Nashaya Williams, who made a couple of key 3-pointers in the first quarter to help establish the Loggers’ early superiority, had 10 points.
The always composed Samara Gaither also impressed with nine points.
The Loggers managed just six points in a low-scoring fourth quarter but their defense would hold the visitors to eight points to ensure the win.
The victory sets up a home semifinal against No. 5 California on Friday night at 7.
The Fortuna girls also won their playoff opener, traveling to Lake County and quickly quieting a loud Kelseyville gymnasium that was hosting a doubleheader of playoff basketball action.
The Huskies, who are seeded No. 6 in the bracket, had to travel for their opener because No. 11 Kelseyville is a league champion.
But after a disappointing Big 5 campaign that saw them win just one of eight games, the Huskies began the postseason with a strong and composed team performance.
And they showed no ill-effects from an 11-day layoff between games after missing out on last week’s Dick Niclai tournament.
“It was a great win for us,” Fortuna head coach Tom Chapman said. “We played one of the best games we’ve played all year. It kind of all came together for us tonight.
“They really put together a complete game, which was awesome to see.”
The game started just moments after the Kelseyville boys rolled over Calistoga 83-35 in their playoff opener and the gym was rocking when the girls took the floor.
“The place was packed, and they were loud,” Chapman said.
That seemed to spur the host Knights, who opened up a quick 5-3 lead.
But the Fortuna girls remained composed and would go on a 14-0 run to quiet the home fans.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Mariah Bravo and Macee Marquez helped the Huskies take control and they never allowed the home team back into contention thanks to some strong team defense.
After the break, Fortuna’s Jaydyn Dalton was handed the difficult task of guarding Kelseyville sharpshooter Briana Davis, who had scored 10 of her team’s 20 first-first half points, and she rose to the challenge.
“Jaydyn just locked her down and held her scoreless (in the second half),” Chapman said. “Jaydyn worked hard and played phenomenal defense.”
Bravo too “was all over the place,” the coach said, while Dalton and Marquez were “hustling non stop.”
And they weren’t the only standouts in the win.
“It was 100 percent a team effort,” Chapman said. “They maintained their composure.”
In fact, the Huskies arguably grew stronger as the game went on and would outscore the Knights 15-2 in the fourth quarter to finish strong.
“I was really pleased with their composure and how complete a game they played,” Chapman said.
Bravo finished with a team-high 17 points, while teammate Jorlynn Villalvazo added seven points and Marquez and Dalton each chipped in six points.
The win sets up a quarterfinal showdown at No, 3 Middletown on Friday night at 7.
The Arcata girls, meanwhile, saw a memorable season end against Montgomery.
After a low-scoring first half, the Vikings led 16-15 early in the second half and both teams were tied at 27-27 heading into the fourth with the game still in the balance.
However, the visitors would get hot from downtown early in the fourth quarter and they hit there consecutive 3s to quickly open up a nine-point advantage.
The Tigers battled hard to the end but were unable to close the gap.
Junior Mae Wolford closed out an outstanding season with a team-high 13 points in the loss, including 12 in the second half.
Her twin sister Tae Wolford added 11 points, while Mayleah Jackson had eight points and Leitala Vainuku chipped in six points.
