Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Nashya Williams in action for the Loggers on Thursday night.

By Ray Hamill — The Eureka Loggers are giving their fans they money’s worth this season.

For the third time in seven days, the Loggers played an overtime game on Thursday night, on the way to getting a key 39-36 win over Del Norte at Jay Willard Gymnasium.

Eureka trailed for much of the night in what was a defensive game, but two clutch free throws by Violla “Energizer Bunny” Kingsang with just six seconds remaining in the fourth quarter tied the game to force the extra period.

And the Eureka players would answer the call in overtime, outscoring the Warriors 8-5 to secure a much-needed win in the race for a Dick Niclai tournament spot.

“If people want to watch girls basketball, the ups and downs in a game, and leave knowing that you got your money’s worth, you should come watch one of our games,” Eureka head coach Cliff Napoleon said. “Doesn’t matter who it is, it’ll be exciting.”

The win lifted the Loggers to 3-3 and into second in the Big 5 and leaves them well positioned to secure a No. 2 seed and an opening-round home game for the upcoming Dick Niclai tournament.

It was a disappointing loss for the Warriors, who let this one slip away having led for much of the night.

The Del Norte girls dropped to 3-4 in the Big 5, but they remain well in the chase for a Niclai tournament berth, something they can secure with a win at home against Fortuna next Thursday.

They started well offensively at Eureka and led 18-8 after the opening quarter, but with both teams playing well defensively they managed just 13 points combined over the next three quarters.

“Started out great offensively in the first,” Del Norte head coach Nick Perez said. “Had a tough time scoring the rest of the game.

“We had another great night defensively.”

Check out the overtime highlights below …

In addition to Kingsang’s ice cool late free throws, junior teammate Olivianna Millender also came up clutch for the home team, nailing a big 3 in the final minute of the fourth to cut what had been a four-point deficit to just one and following that with a late free throw in overtime to give her team a three-point cushion with 10 seconds remaining.

Nashya Williams and Tiarah Maualuga each also scored key baskets in the extra period, while Madelyn Fazio hit a 3-pointer early in overtime to give the Loggers some momentum.

Napoleon described Kingsang and Fazio as two “unsung heroes” for their clutch play late in the game.

Maualuga had another big game for the home team, which improved to 14-8 overall, finishing with a double-double.

The junior standout scored 12 points and added 10 rebounds.

Williams also had a good all-around night and finished with 10 rebounds, six points and five steals.

Sophomore Jaylee Keeling led Del Norte with a game-high 15 points.

Keeling had four 3-pointers, including two in a second half that saw the visitors manage just 10 points.

Del Norte’s Kansas Coulson also impressed and added 10 points including two 3s, while freshman teammate Josephine Antonetti chipped in six points.

With the loss, Del Norte dropped to 10-9 on the season.

Next up, in non-conference action, the Loggers will play at Hoopa on Saturday, while the Warriors will host St. Bernard’s on Monday.

And don’t be surprised to see the Loggers go to overtime.