By Ray Hamill — A late start and a number of injuries haven’t helped matters for the Ferndale boys basketball team this season, but the Wildcats are beginning to find their groove and are well positioned to make some noise down the stretch.

After a season for the ages on the football fields in the fall and a deep playoff run, head coach Lane Stapp didn’t have a full complement of players until a few weeks into the campaign and it resulted in a slow start.

Unlike the rest of the H-DNL, the Cats managed just seven games before Christmas, winning just two.

But a big 59-47 win over Fortuna two weeks ago was encouraging and Ferndale followed that with a 65-59 Little 4 win over Hoopa last week as they began to build some momentum.

They continued conference play on Thursday night, falling 67-53 to South Fork at Ferndale with a disappointing performance.

But with a largely healthy roster again, the Cats remain well in the mix for a place in next month’s Dick Niclai tournament, and if they make the North Coast Section playoffs this is a team that could make some noise once they get there.

“I’ve been real happy with their work ethic and how hard they hustle,” said Stapp, who has no shortage of talented athletes on the roster. “I’d say our defense has been our calling card again, kind of like last year, and offensively we’ve been good at pushing the tempo.”

Team captains Prescott Langer and Tanner Pidgeon have been leading the way and setting the tempo for their teammates on a team that is 4-7 overall heading into next week’s Little 4 game at St. Bernard’s.

Evan Victorine also has impressed for the Cats with his play at guard.

The matchup against the Crusaders will be a tough challenge, as it has been for every other H-DNL team that has played them this season, but regardless of what happens in that game, if the Cats can close out conference play with wins over South Fork and Hoopa, they would likely clinch second in the Little 4 and host an opening round game in next month’s Dick Niclai tournament.

Ferndale is currently in a three-way tie with South Fork and Hoopa for second in the Little 4 with identical 1-2 records and three games remaining each.

“Last night was a little bit of a bummer, but if we win two more we’re sitting pretty,” Stapp said on Friday. “We’re definitely looking at the Niclai.”

A strong finish to the season could also see the Cats make the NCS postseason, and they are currently ranked No. 7 in Division 6.

But the team will need to find some consistency, something that has eluded them thus far.

Stapp is confident a healthy roster can finish strong.

“The first couple of tournaments we were still getting used to each other,” the coach added. “But now we’re playing more as a cohesive unit.”