File photo – The St. Bernard’s girls will play in a tournament championship game for the second straight weekend, having also done so at Sonoma last weekend.

St. Bernard’s will play Pyramid Lake in the Mt. Shasta tournament championship game for the second straight year on Saturday after successfully navigating a challenging semifinal on Friday evening.

Samantha Sundberg had a big day on offense and Leah Stevens gave the Crusaders a spark off the bench in a 53-35 win over a previously unbeaten Weed team.

Sundberg scored a team-high 21 points in the win, while Stevens hit three big 3s in the second quarter to give her team some early momentum.

“I am super happy with the ladies performance tonight,” St. Bernard’s head coach Matt Tomlin said. “Weed was 7-0 coming into the game and they are a talented and well-coached basketball team.

“Our ladies matched Weeds’ level of physicality, attacked the boards for rebounds and played great team basketball.”

Stevens finished with nine points, while fellow sophomore Carli Baum chipped in eight points.

“Samantha Sundberg was amazing once again, and Carli Baum was explosive at the point guard position and created great opportunities for her teammates,” Tomlin said. 

Alyssa Boham also was influential in the win and is enjoying a good start to the new season.

According to Tomlin, Boham “has been a leader for us on defense and rebounding.”

With the win, St. Bernard’s improved to 4-2 on the season.

Twelve months ago, the Crusaders defeated Pyramid Lake, a Nevada school, 69-54 in the tournament championship game.

Saturday’s showdown is set for 4:30 p.m.

American Canyon 46, Eureka 35

Eureka 42, Miramonte 35

The team defense kept the Loggers in their game against Miramonte on Friday, before the offense finally found its groove.

After opening the Windsor tournament with a loss to an athletic American Canyon team on Thursday, the Eureka girls responded with a seven-point win over the Matadors on Friday.

And the defense played a big role in the bounce-back victory.

After a turnover-plagued first half, the Loggers found themselves just four points adrift at halftime (21-17) thanks in large part to some solid defense, and they continued to play well on that side of the ball in the third quarter.

Offensively, Eureka grew into the game and outscored the Matadors 13-4 in the third quarter to take control.

Tiarah Maualuga led the team in scoring with 18 points, while Alena Battle and Nashya Williams each added seven points as the Loggers improved to 6-2.

The victory also avenged one of the Loggers’ two defeats this year, after they had fallen to Miramonte (47-41) in non-tournament action in late November.

The Eureka girls dropped their tournament opener to American Canyon in a competitive game, with neither team able to pull away for much of the night.

The Wolves, however, closed out strong and outscored the Loggers 15-7 in the fourth quarter to pull out the win.

Ferndale 43, Modoc 41

The Wildcats overcame a poor third quarter on the way to winning their semifinal at the Weaverville Holiday Classic on Friday night.

The Ferndale girls led by eight points at halftime, but found themselves six adrift heading into the fourth after managing just one point in the third.

Modoc would stretch the advantage to as many as 10 in the fourth, but the Wildcats rediscovered their touch late in the game and came storming back for the victory, with Madison Gossi nailing a huge 3-pointer in the final minute to give her team the lead.

Tinnley Pidgeon, who scored a team-high 17 points in the win, helped see the team over the finish line with some clutch free throws at the end.

“It was ugly, but we battled back,” Ferndale head coach Chris Ardrey said. “We got our heads together and we grinded out a victory.”

With the win the Cats improved to 4-1 on the young season, and they will play either Trinity or Hoopa for the tournament championship on Saturday at 4 p.m.

This is the second straight weekend the Cats have reached a tournament championship, having also done so at Cloverdale last week.

Ardrey described Friday’s third quarter as the worst the Cats have played in his time at Ferndale, but believes his players will learn from the experience.

“Of course. It was a good learning experience,” he said. “A win is a win and we’ll take it. It’s always nice to win an ugly one.”

Gossi finished with eight points, while teammates Gianna Regli and Michaela Ellsmore each chipped in six points.

Justin-Siena 68, Fortuna 44

The Huskies suffered just their second loss of the year at the Redwood Empire Invitational in Healdsburg on Friday night.

Junior Evalynn Little led Fortuna with 11 points, while freshman Kaleya Parkinson added nine points.

Fortuna head coach Tom Chapman was impressed with the effort his players gave.

“Justin-Siena shot the ball very well,” Chapman said. “Despite the loss, the team played with a ton of heart.”

The Fortuna seniors — a group that includes Jaydyn Dalton, Taylor Heussler, Macee Marquez and Tatiana Olson — played key roles in a tough matchup.

“Our seniors really helped set the tone on playing with intensity and never giving up,” the coach added. “I am proud of the seniors and the whole team. They brought a ton of energy to a game we knew would be very challenging.

“This game will definitely help us get better.”

Justin-Siena improved to 3-1.

Next up, the Huskies will face Healdsburg in the third-place game on Saturday.