Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

The Panthers have been knocking on the door in recent weeks, and on Friday they finally got the breakthrough win they needed, while putting a dent on the Eureka’s championship ambitions.

The McKinleyville girls hosted the Loggers in Big 5 action and prevailed in a hard-fought battle, winning 56-54 in overtime.

The loss for the Loggers was their second straight in conference and drops them to 3-2 in the Big 5 (14-6 overall), leaving them two wins behind frontrunners, the Arcata Tigers, who won a hard-fought battle of their own against Del Norte on Friday.

With the win, the Panthers improved to 1-4 in the Big 5 and moved back above .500 on the season with an 11-10 mark.

“We finally took care of business tonight,” said McKinleyville head coach Alisha Hunter, who added “We came out ready to play.”

Much as they have been doing all season long, the McKinleyville players battled hard on the boards, and their 49 rebounds showcased their determination on Friday night.

They also played one of their most complete games, playing well for all four quarters and the extra period.

“McKinleyville did really well tonight shooting the ball,” Eureka head coach Cliff Napoleon said. “They out-rebounded us and got more of the 50/50 balls than we did. They beat us and it was a great win for them.”

The home team led 32-25 at halftime on a night where the Loggers struggled to shoot the ball, and any time the Eureka girls went on a run the Panthers would answer.

“They definitely went on some runs throughout the game, but we made sure to adjust and get right back to our style of play,” Hunter said. “(Our players) made the extra pass tonight to get great shots instead of settling for good ones.

“We found the holes in the defense, which enabled us to keep pushing.”

Several players on a young McKinleyville roster stepped up, including sophomore Lily Battilocchi and freshman Cabella Carper, although Hunter said “it was a solid team effort.”

Battilocchi finished with a double-double, scoring 10 points and pulling down 12 rebounds, while Carper had a team-high 16 points and “played her best game yet,” according to Hunter, as she quickly adapts to the high school level.

Battolicchi “kept their bigs in check and was after every loose ball that came her way,” the coach said.

Despite the loss, there were some bright spots for the Loggers, most notably the play of Madelyn Fazio, who continued her impressive season and scored a game-high 18 points.

“She did a great job giving us a boost on an awful, awful shooting night for us,” Napoleon said. 

Violla Kingsang added 10 points for Eureka, while Oliviana Millender chipped in eight points.

“Eureka didn’t go down without a fight,” Hunter said

Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

Senior Liana Stumpf also impressed for McKinleyville and finished the night with 12 points and seven rebounds, while junior Maggie Morris added seven points and “pieced a whole game together,” the coach said. 

“I’m waiting for her to go off,” Hunter added. “And I know it’s coming.”

McKinleyville sophomore Olivia Murphy had a strong all-around game, finishing with four points, seven rebounds and four assists — she “set a pace that her teammates had to match,” the coach said — while freshman Jojo Marsh followed a strong performance earlier in the week against St. Bernard’s with a another good game and added six rebounds and three points.

Both teams shot poorly from the free-throw line, with Eureka making just 13 of 23 and McKinleyville going 15 for 27, but in overtime the Panthers made five of six, while the Loggers made just one of six, which ultimately made a difference.

“Proud of my team,” Hunter said. “It’s exciting to finally see a complete game where they took care of the ball and played as a team.”