Basketball

Ferndale girls, Del Norte boys win midweek non-tournament games

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Del Norte traveled to Ferndale for a quadruple of basketball games on Tuesday, and it was good day for three of the Warriors teams.

The Del Norte varsity boys and both JV teams won their matchups against the Wildcats, but the Ferndale girls varsity team salvaged some pride for the hosts as they continue their strong start to the new season.

The Cats won the varsity girls game by a score of 46-40 and they won with some strong defense.

“We played really good defensively, but offensively we just never found our rhythm,” Ferndale head coach Chris Ardrey said. 

The win was the fourth straight for Ferndale, which improved to 6-1.

Just a few days after being named MVP at the Trinity tournament, senior Tinnley Pidgeon scored a team-high 15 points for the home team, while the always-dangerous Michaela Ellsmore added 14 points, including three 3-pointers.

Gianna Regli and Madison Gossi each also impressed for the Wildcats and finished with 12 and five points, respectively.

But it was the team defense that set the tone, and that’s a good sign for the Cats as they continue their preparation for the upcoming league schedule, which gets under way in the new year.

“It’s nice to know the defense can get us a win when our offense isn’t clicking,” Ardrey said.

No stats were immediately available for the Del Norte girls, who dropped to 5-4.

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The Wildcats will try to keep their fast start to the new season going when they open the Kelseyville tournament against H-DNL rival McKinleyville on Thursday.

The Del Norte boys, meanwhile, won their matchup to close out a busy day for the two schools, defeating the Cats 64-41.

The Warriors have been impressing through the early season, as several players from last year’s successful JV team make the jump to the varsity level.

The victory was the third straight for the Warriors, who improved to 7-2.

Eight of the nine Del Norte players scored in the win, including Damian Escalera, who finished with a team-high 21 points and also had five assists.

Teammate Kanyon Starkey added a double-double, scoring 11 points and pulling down 10 rebounds, while Sawyer Fry also had 10 boards to go with eight points.

   

Markus Parras chipped in eight points, while Ty Blue had six points.

Rumaldo Salcedo helped set his teammates up for success with five assists and also had eight rebounds.

No stats were immediately available for the Ferndale boys, who dropped to 1-3 after a late start for the team because of the school’s long playoff run in football.

The Warriors will be back in action at the Anderson tournament later this week, as they look to defend the title they have won in reach of the past two seasons.

They open against the host school on Thursday night at 8.

The Wildcats will travel for the Kelseyville tournament, opening against a good Biggs team that is 8-1 on Thursday at 3 p.m.

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