Eureka and Del Norte will play for the Yreka tournament championship on Saturday afternoon after semifinal wins for both schools on Friday.

Del Norte defeated the host school 51-45, while Eureka got the better of Orland by a score of 61-44.

Also in action on Friday, St. Bernard’s defeated the host school at the Montgomery tournament 58-48 and will also play for a tourney championship on Saturday, as will the McKinleyville Panthers, who won their semifinal at their own Tip-Off Classic, defeating Ukiah 73-48.

Also at the Mack tournament, Fortuna lost 50-43 to Las Plumas and dropped to 1-5 on the season, while at the Anderson valley tournament South Fork lost 69-37 to Stuart Hall.

Owen Hiscox led the way for the Loggers, who improved to 4-0 on the season, and had a big night at both ends of the court.

The senior scored a team-high 14 points including four 3-pointers, but it was his defense that really stood out.

“Owen Hiscox, who was dangerous on the offensive end, played his best defensive game I’ve seen,” Eureka assistant coach Andrew DeHart said. “He was a man possessed, in the passing lanes, tracking down rebounds, and getting on the floor. He set the tone for us defensively.”

The game was tied 15-15 at the end of the opening quarter but the Loggers began to take control in the second, outscoring Orland 24-6 for the period to open up an 18-point lead at the break.

“All-around our best team basketball of the season,” DeHart said.

Xavier De la Rosa Alcantara also impressed and finished with 11 points in the win, while Eddie Gonzalez and Ryder Mitchell each added nine points.

Kyle Giacone, who had six points, had a good game at point guard and “was in control of the game throughout, facilitating on both ends,” according to DeHart.

Mitchell also impressed his coach with his performance.

“(He) imposed his will down low and was stifling in the paint for us on the defensive end,” the coach added.

Brayden Bermers added six points, while Michael Roland gave the team some good minutes off the bench.

Del Norte 51, Yreka 45

The Del Norte Warriors also impressed with their third straight win, as they improved to 3-1 on the year.

Sophomore Ty Blue had another big game and is quickly establishing himself at the varsity level.

Blue fished with a team-high 17 points and eight rebounds.

Sawyer Fry added 16 points for Del Norte, while Rek-Woi Alameda chipped in 11 points.

Justin Cushmann added four steals and four rebounds.

McKinleyville 73, Ukiah 48

The Panthers improved to 4-0 on the season with their second win in tournament action, and they did it was a strong team performance.

“Our guys really answered the call tonight against a good team,” McKinleyville head coach Chris Davis said. “As it will be for most of the season, we were undersized but played big and handled their physicality really well.”

Ray Turner Jr. had another good game as he continues his impressive tournament and finished with 14 points, while teammate Neil Moon also impressed with 14 points.

“We had contributions throughout our whole roster tonight,” Davis added. “Everyone set the tone of defense, which led to good outcomes on the other end.”

Henry Turner IV added 12 points in the win, while Lucas Jones chipped in nine points.

The Panthers will play Cardinal Newman for the tournament championship at 3:30 p.m.

St. Bernard’s 58, Montgomery 48

The Crusaders improved to 2-0 on the season with their second 10-point win in tournament play, having also defeated San Domenico in Thursday’s tourney opener.

They will play Campolindo for the championship on Saturday afternoon.

Prince Latimer scored a team-high 25 points in the win, while the always-dangerous Liam Dyer added 15 points.

Carson Costa also impressed as he continued his fast start to the new season and had 10 points, while Garrett Shanahan chipped in six points.

“We didn’t start the game nearly as well as (Thursday), but the boys made adjustments and responded well,” St. Bernard’s head coach Pat Shanahan said. “Montgomery is an excellent 3-point shooting team and our squad was able to contest many of them.

“We also did a great job of moving the ball and finding each other.”