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The Loggers won for the fourth time in five games on Friday night, traveling to Miranda to play South Fork in boys basketball and coming away with a 77-55 victory in non-tournament action.

The home team started well and the game was tight early, but the visitors would take control with a big second quarter and never looked back.

With the win, the Eureka boys improved to 9-5 on the season, as they get set for their conference opener at McKinleyville on Tuesday night.

“South Fork came out hot. They had a huge first quarter,” Eureka assistant coach Andrew DeHart said. “We felt they came out with a ton of energy and we weren’t able to match that energy until the second quarter.

“After that first quarter, we really needed to gather ourselves and adjust.”

Once they settled into the game, however, the Loggers took control, outscoring the home team 26-8 in the second quarter.

Senior Eddie Gonzalez had a big night in the win and continued to play a key role for Eureka, finishing with a team-high 20 points.

The standout senior, who also enjoyed a big fall on the football fields, helped get his team going with some key baskets in the second quarter, including two 3-pointers, as well as some strong defense.

“He took it upon himself to guard one of their better offensive players and did a phenomenal job in the second quarter,” DeHart said.

The always dangerous Xavier De La Rosa also had a big night in the win and added 18 points, while teammate Jamarion Ireland chipped in 10 points with another strong showing.

Ireland has seen limited time off the bench this season but is taking full advantage of his opportunities and playing at a high level as the Loggers get set for conference play.

Ireland hit three big 3s in the second half to help keep the home team at bay, and added a free-throw on one of them for a four-point play.

“He really stepped up today,” DeHart said of the opportunistic senior.  “We were really proud of him.”

Sophomore Brayden Bermers is another player who has been performing at a high level early in the season for the Loggers, and he continued to impress beyond his years on Friday while scoring a couple of key baskets.

No stats were immediately available for the Cubs, who dropped to 8-8.

Next up, the Loggers will make the short trip north on Tuesday to play the Panthers in what will be a challenging Big 5 opener between two of the frontrunners for this year’s conference championship.

The Cubs will tip off the Little 4 at home against Hoopa on Friday night.