Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

By Ray Hamill — An exciting finish to the H-DNL basketball season went right down to the wire, with one of the most thrilling endings of the year last Friday night.

St. Bernard’s sophomore CJ Figas has grown in stature at the varsity level as the season progressed, but she saved the best for last with a conference-clinching shot to lift the SB girls to their first-ever Dick Niclai championship.

Pressure? What pressure?

Figas displayed a composure beyond her years with the clutch shot, before she was surrounded by her teammates as they celebrated their historic breakthrough championship at Lumberjack Arena.

And that makes her this week’s Humboldt Sports Athlete of the Week.

And that’s not all for the St. Bernard’s girls.

The Niclai champs are one of our teams of the week as well, joining their fellow Niclai champs, the McKinleyville boys.

It was a memorable achievement for both programs.

For the SB girls, it was their first-ever tournament title and it came 12 months after they barely lost to Eureka in the 2024 Niclai final.

As head coach Matt Tomlin said after the big win, this was the team’s biggest goal this season and the players did not disappoint, securing the trophy in dramatic fashion and rallying from a 13-point second-half deficit to achieve it.

The Mack boys were equally impressive.

After losing twice to rival Arcata in conference play and falling short in their bid to defend their co-championship, they made sure they would not be denied in the rematch in the championship game.

They played with a determination and composure that suggested from the opening tip they would not be denied.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

CJ Figas

St. Bernard’s Basketball, Sophomore

With young players like Carli Baum and Figas quickly establishing themselves as key components of the team, the future is as bright as the present for the Crusaders.

Figas hit the shot that was heard around the county in Friday’s championship showdown at Lumberjack Arena, and she did in front of a packed house, rising to the challenge on the biggest night of the year for H-DNL girls basketball.

For more on her big night, see St. Bernard’s girls win first-ever Dick Niclai title in thrilling fashion …

TEAMS OF THE WEEK

McKinleyville Boys Basketball

St. Bernard’s Girls Basketball

The two Dick Niclai championship-winning teams are our co-Teams of the Week.

And both fully deserve the honor, not just for their achievements but the manner in which they won.

The St. Bernard’s girls got the night off to a flying start with their thrilling comeback victory over the Big 5 champion Arcata Tigers, who had lost to an H-DNL opponent all winter.

Figas was far from the only standout in the history-making win.

Seniors Laila Florvilus, Aliyah Vigil and Jocelyn Sundberg are all enjoying outstanding seasons — and they’re not done yet — and each of them played a key role in last Friday’s win.

So too did Tomlin and his staff, as they now turn their attention to the North Coast Section playoffs.

The McKinleyville boys also impressed on their way to the Niclai championship, which was the program’s fourth all-time and second in three seasons.

Second-year head coach Chris Davis has done an outstanding job establishing the Panthers as one of the best-coached and most competitive teams in the H-DNL and the future looks bright for this program.

Several players made key contributions on the path to the championship win, including juniors Neil Moon and Bode Douglass, as well as seniors Cole Armstrong and Nick Maher, all of whom were outstanding in last weekend’s final, among others.

For more on the Crusaders, see St. Bernard’s girls win first-ever Dick Niclai title in thrilling fashion …

For more on the Mack boys’ big week, see Determined Panthers rise to the challenge, top the Tigers in Niclai final …