GIRLS POWER RANKINGS — Who is the best team in the HDN right now?

By barstoolfanatics on January 3, 2026 • ( Leave a comment )

Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports – The Arcata Tigers are the highest-ranked H-DNL team in the NCS, boys or girls.

By Ray Hamill — While the St. Bernard’s boys have stolen many of the early headlines with their exceptional play in December, it’s the Arcata girls who are currently the highest-ranked H-DNL team in the North Coast Section.

Despite dropping back-to-back games against Justin-Siena and Marin Catholic going into a Saturday showdown against Granada, the Tigers are ranked No. 13 in the Section, according to MaxPreps, and No. 3 in Division 3.

The defending Big 5 champs have arguably the best two players in the H-DNL in twin sisters Tae and Mae Wolford, each of whom has been leading the way among their peers once again this winter.

The Tigers are also the No. 8 ranked Division-3 team in all of California.

But they’re far from the only local team to have impressed in December, and while the H-DNL boys have just one team ranked in the top 30 in NCS (St. Bernard’s), four of the league’s girls teams are ranked in the top 23, while six of the nine programs are ranked in the top 50 out of 143 girls teams in the NCS.

The Crusaders, meanwhile, are No. 2 in our first Power Rankings and have won six of their last seven games to go to 10-4.

Head coach Matt Tomlin has a young roster that is not expected to peak until next winter, but his players are coming together quickly and ranked No. 19 in the NCS, and they’re finding ways to fill the shoes of the now graduated former state player of the year, Laila Florvilus.

Last year’s Dick Niclai tournament championship featured the top two teams in our Power Rankings — Arcata and St. Bernard’s — and it was a classic.

And judging by the early-season form of both of those teams, we could be in for a repeat matchup in 2026.

Of course, the other highly-ranked teams in the NCS — No. 22 Fortuna, No. 23 Ferndale and No. 43 Eureka — will all fancy their chances in conference play and in this year’s Niclai tournament.

Submitted photo

Submitted photo

The Fortuna girls have been one of the stories of the season so far during a busy December and have won six straight games to go to 12-3 on the season, while head coach Cliff Napoleon and the Eureka Loggers have played a tough early-season schedule — as usual — against some larger schools, and they have impressed for the most part.

The Ferndale Wildcats round out our top-five teams and have also impressed in the early season.

The Wildcats are the top-ranked Division-6 team in the NCS and No. 3 in all of California.

This coming week will be a big one for the smallest school in H-DNL basketball, with huge matchups at home to Fortuna on Tuesday and at St. Bernard’s in their Little 4 opener on Friday.

Victories in both of those games would see the Cats make a big jump in our rankings.