Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

By Ray Hamill — The Eureka Loggers will face one of their biggest challenges of the year on Thursday night as they get set to play unbeaten Big 5 leaders McKinleyville in another pivotal conference showdown.

And it will be a good opportunity for young local students to check out some high school basketball.

The big showdown will be part of the Loggers’ Youth Night, with free admission for any elementary or middle school students accompanied by an adult.

The schools’ freshmen and JV teams will also face off.

The freshmen get the night’s action under way at 4:30 p.m., followed by the JVs at 6 and the varsity teams at 7:30 p.m.

The Eureka varsity team is coming off a tough 65-41 loss to Arcata on Tuesday, a result that leaves them in a three-way tied for second in the Big 5 standings, along with Arcata and Del Norte.

And that makes Thursday’s game even more important.

A loss for the Eureka boys would see them drop into third in the standings with just three games remaining, potentially jeopardizing their hopes of qualifying for the H-DNL postseason Dick Niclai tournament and realistically ending any shot at the title.

The top three teams advance to the Niclai tourney, which is arguably the biggest annual sporting event here on the North Coast.

A win on Thursday, however, would not only keep the Loggers well in contention for Niclai qualification, but it would also catapult them right back into contention for this year’s conference championship.