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The bench players stepped up for the Loggers in their opening game at the Enterprise tournament on Monday, as the Eureka boys topped West Valley 72-41.

The win was the second straight for the Loggers, who also split a pair of road games over the weekend, losing 64-59 at Ukiah on Friday and winning 55-34 at Kelseyville on Saturday.

Owen Hiscox led the Loggers at the offensive end on Monday and scored a team-high 23 points, including seven 3-pointers, but it was the play of some of the bench players that helped see them over the finish line.

Jamarion Ireland, Nathaniel Kahō’āli’i, Archer Francis, Dominic Hardcastle and Fisher Osbourne all saw time and all impressed.

“Just a group of guys that don’t always play, but when they do they play with a lot of heart,” Eureka assistant coach Andrew DeHart said.

Eddie Gonzalez also impressed in the win and finished with 13 points, while Xavier De La Rosa added 10 points and Ryder Mitchell chipped in eight points.

“We got off to a hot start and continued our strong defensive play,” DeHart said. “That’s been a point of emphasis for our team. Just improving on the defensive end and playing with a little more grit.”

The Loggers took control of the game with a 26-point second quarter, as they improved to 7-4 on the season.

The Eureka boys will continue tournament play against University Prep on Tuesday afternoon.

On Friday, meanwhile, the Loggers traveled to Ukiah and lost by five points.

De La Rosa led the team with 18 points, while Mitchell added 14 points and Hiscox chipped in 12 points.

The Loggers started slow and trailed 18-11 going into the second quarter, and although they were able to make some runs in the second half, the home team found a way to respond each time.

DeHart described it as a hard-fought game, with Mitchell particularly impressive for the visitors.

“We were really, really glad with the play we got from Ryder Mitchell,” the Eureka coach said. “He was really a force down low on the rebounds, as well his ability to finish around the cup.”

Gonzalez added eight points in the loss, while sophomore point guard Kyle Giacone finished with seven points and continued to do a “great job of setting up the offense, making sure guys know where they’re supposed to be,” according to DeHart.

The Loggers, however, would respond with a nice 21-point win at Kelseyville the following day.

Kahō’āli’i led the team with 10 points off the bench, while Brayden Bermers had nine points and Gonzalez, Giacone and Hiscox each finished with six points.