Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Arcata’s Mae Wolford lines up a free throw attempt during Saturday night’s thrilling showdown at St. Bernard’s.

By Ray Hamill — On Saturday night, Arcata and St. Bernard’s reminded us of why this has become the best rivalry in H-DNL girls basketball in recent years.

The two schools, who have served up some classic encounters over the past two seasons, including a memorable NorCal championship in 2024 and an exciting Dick Niclai final in 2025, did it again with a thrilling non-conference showdown at St. Bernard’s.

Arguably the two best teams in the H-DNL — although Eureka may have something to say about that — battled neck and neck all night in a physical game and both teams left it all on the court.

And when the final buzzer sounded in front of a packed and loud gymnasium, it was the Tigers who walked away with a 76-74 win.

“What an amazing game,” SB head coach Matt Tomlin said. “Tonight was another amazing chapter in what has become a big-time girls basketball rivalry between Arcata and St. Bernard’s.

“The ladies in both these programs play outstanding basketball and tonight they took girls basketball in the H-DNL to another level.”

Arcata head coach Charlie Espinoza also appreciated the effort of both teams and the fans.

“The atmosphere was high level,” he said. “I’m talking playoff atmosphere in January. That’s what is gonna happen every time we play St. Bernard’s. That’s what happens when two great programs match up. Their fans are loud and they make themselves known.”

In reality, this game could have gone either way but for a bounce here or there, as we’ve come to expect when they play.

The Tigers led by one with 24 seconds remaining, when a missed free throw by Arcata’s Anevay Gruetzmacher was rebounded by teammate Mae Wolford, who passed out to Betty Miles, who in turn found an open Tae Wolford.

A 3-point attempt by the latter bounced off the rim and high above the basket, only to fall down again through the hoop to give the visitors a four-point cushion.

The Crusaders responded with a Carli Baum basket to cut the deficit in half, but time would run out and the Arcata players and fans began to celebrate as the final buzzer sounded.

Check out the closing moments of Saturday’s thrilling showdown …

The win avenged the two recent heartbreaking championship game losses to the Crusaders, while also ending a four-game losing streak to St. Bernard’s dating back to February 2023.

There were several standout performances on both teams in what was the most exciting local girls game of the year thus far.

Arcata’s Wolford sisters came to play on what was their 18th birthday and showcased why they are the best players in the H-DNL right now.

Tae had a monster game and finished with a game-high 25 points, including the game-winning basket, to go with eight rebounds, while Mae posted a double-double, finishing with 11 points, 11 rebounds and five steals.

“Tae Wolford had a great outing showing everyone why she and her twin sister are hands down the best players in this area,” Espinoza said.

They were far from the only standouts in what was a clutch team performance, as the Tigers answered the call late and overcame a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

Miles, a sophomore guard, enjoyed a breakout performance and finished with 20 points as well as the game-winning assist.

“(She) came out confident and composed,” Espinoza said. “This is the game she needed and the game we knew she is capable of.”

Gruetzmacher, a sophomore, also had a big night as she continues to establish herself as a key player on the team.

Gruetzmacher showcased her hustle and determination with eight steals, to go with seven points, while teammate Kyla Kinyon added nine rebounds and seven points and Syriah George added six rebounds with another good night in the paint.

George, according to her coach, “has been making a big impact for us.”

Several St. Bernard’s players also impressed as the Little 4 school started strong and looked well up to the challenge.

Freshman Macie Wantt is quickly becoming a key contributor for this team and scored a team-high 17 points, while the always-impressive Baum added 16 points.

“I am so proud of my team,” Tomlin said. “They left it all on the court tonight and did not back down from the challenge of playing a big-time aggressive program.

“This game in January will make us better in February and March when we are playing in the postseason.”

Junior team captain CJ Figas added 13 points and has become one of her team’s most consistent players, while Alyssa Boham added 11 points and Samantha Sundberg chipped in six points.

Sariah Vainuku and Kayla Maples each also had four points for the home team, which saw a six-game winning streak come to an end and dropped to 13-5.

“Hats off to Tomlin and his squad,” Espinoza said. “They came out hot early and they wanted blood. Our girls responded well and handled business.”

Tomlin also praised the Tigers, who improved to 11-3.

“I want to congratulate coach Charlie and the Arcata girls on their victory tonight,” he said.