Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – The St. Bernard’s boys celebrate their NCS championship this past season.

By Ray Hamill — To say it was another good winter on the basketball courts at St. Bernard’s is an understatement.

It was a season for the ages.

Not only did both the boys and girls varsity squads claim undefeated conference titles, but both teams enjoyed historic seasons while doing so.

And that makes them our choices for Humboldt Sports boys and girls basketball teams of the year.

After dominating the rest of the Little 4 on the way to a championship, the SB girls went on to win a first-ever Dick Niclai tournament trophy.

And they did so in thrilling fashion, with sophomore CJ Figas hitting the shot heard all around the county with the winning bucket as time expired in a classic tournament final against Arcata.

The win capped a remarkable run in the H-DNL.

The Crusaders went 6-0 against Little 4 opponents and 6-0 against Big 5 schools, beating every other school in the local league.

Head coach Matt Tomlin and his staff continue to do a remarkable job leading the program, which won 29 games this season after winning 30 games and a state championship a year ago.

Seniors Laila Florvilus, Aliyah Vigil and Jocelyn Sundberg set the tone this year and will be missed, but with younger standouts like Figas, Samantha Sundberg and Carli Baum the future of the program is in good hands.

The St. Bernard’s boys were equally impressive this past winter and achieved something no other team in H-DNL history has ever managed.

The St. Bernard’s girls celebrate their Dick Niclai tournament win.

Under the guidance of head coach Issac Gildea and his staff, the Crusaders became the first-ever H-DNL program to win a conference title, a North Coast Section championship and a NorCal crown all in the same season.

After storming their way through the Little 4 undefeated, the SB boys went as far as they could in the state playoffs, winning the Division-6 NorCal championship for the second time in four seasons.

And remarkably, this team should only get better, with a junior-heavy roster all expected back next winter.

Liam Dyer was the standout performer and was named Little 4 MVP, but fellow juniors Tyler Hinrichs, Prince Latimer, Carson Costa and Luke Brunton all impressed as well, along with sophomores Garrett Shanahan and Trenten Hagler, among others.

Congratulations to both SB teams for all they accomplished this year and for being named the Humboldt Sports teams of the year.

And shoutouts to both Arcata teams as well, along with the Ferndale girls, who also won an NCS championship.