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The Loggers closed out 2025 with a nice victory in boys basketball on Wednesday, beating Weed 45-37 to place third at Enterprise High School’s Jamie Angley tournament.

The Eureka boys opened tournament play with a 72-41 win over West Valley on Monday, before dropping their second tournament game against University Prep the following day by a score off 83-65.

Several players impressed for the Big 5 school in tournament play, including junior Ryder Mitchell, who helped anchor a big defensive performance against Weed and was named to the all-tournament team.

In addition to his strong defense, Mitchell also was “a powerful force on the boards with rebounds across all three games,” according to Eureka assistant coach Andrew DeHart.

“Defense was a point of emphasis for us coming into the game, as we knew Weed’s offense was strong,” DeHart said.

And the players delivered, allowing their second fewest points in a game this year, while holding the Cougars to a season-low in points.

Junior Xavier De La Rosa and senior Owen Hiscox each also impressed in tournament play.

“De La Rosa was tasked with guarding the pivotal players on each team we played and he provided a master class defensive performance in all three games,” said DeHart, who added that “Owen Hiscox continues to ignite our offense through his outside shooting.”

Hiscox, who scored a team-high 14 points against Weed, pulled down a pivotal rebound and made two subsequent free throws to help see the Loggers over the final line late in the fourth quarter.

Kyle Giacone added seven points in the win, while Brayden Bermers chipped in six points.

De La Rosa also impressed on the offensive end against a quality U Prep team on Tuesday and scored a team-high 20 points in the loss.

Despite the defeat, the Eureka coaches believe this is a game their players will benefit from.

“It was a game that we looked forward to in preseason as we gained a lot of valuable lessons playing tough competition,” DeHart said. 

Bermers and Mitchell each finished with 14 points in the loss, but the Loggers played the 7-4 Panthers close for much of the game and trailed by just five at halftime.

“Our team was able to get some points in transition, and down the stretch it was a matter of them hitting shots on second chances,” DeHart said. 

The Loggers, who open conference play next week, are now 8-5.

Next up, they play at South Fork on Friday night, with tip off set for 7 p.m.