Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Laila Florvilus with her Humboldt Sports Little 4 Girls Athlete of the Year trophy.

By Ray Hamill — One of the best local high school basketball players in recent years will make her return to the North Coast on Thursday evening for a huge CCAA showdown at Lumberjack Arena.

Former St. Bernard’s Crusader Laila Florvilus, who plays for Chico State, will be on hand when the Cal Poly Humboldt women host the Wildcats .

Both teams are 8-0 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association and tied with Cal Poly Pomona for the conference lead, with the three conference frontrunners three wins clear of the chasing pack

The winner of Thursday’s showdown at Lumberjack Arena could take over sole possession of the conference lead, depending on how Pomona fares against Cal State San Bernardino on the same night.

Florvilus, who will also compete in track and field for Chico, has seen limited action for the Wildcats in her first season on the college courts.

The three-time Little 4 MVP and the 2025 Humboldt Sports Little 4 Girls Athlete of the Year has played in seven of Chico’s games as she adjusts to the Division-II level, including Saturday’s 73-55 win at San Francisco State.

Florvilus, who was named the Cal Hi Sports Division-4 State Player of the Year in 2024 after helping to lead the Crusaders to a state championship, finished the game with two points and three rebounds in six minutes of playing time.

But Florvilus and her teammates will have their hands full going up against a Lumberjacks team that has won seven straight games and is enjoying its best start to conference play in 12 years.

The Jacks’ seven-game winning streak is their longest since 2019.

Humboldt is 10-4 overall, while Chico is 12-2.

Thursday’s game tips off at 5:30 p.m. and the two teams will play each other a second time in conference action on Saturday afternoon in Chico.

The Cal Poly Humboldt men will also play Chico on Thursday night at 7:30.

The Lumberjacks are 5-3 in the CCAA (7-7 overall) and tied for third in the standings, while Chico is 4-4 and 6-7.