File photo – The CR women lost at Siskiyous on Saturday afternoon.

Get ready for a championship showdown on Wednesday.

On Saturday afternoon, the College of the Redwoods men’s basketball team took care of business at Siskiyous to set up a huge showdown at CR next week with the Golden Valley Conference title hanging in the balance.

With an 82-67 win over the Eagles, Redwoods improved to 7-1 in the GVC (18-8 overall) and kept pressure on conference frontrunners Feather River.

The Golden Eagles played at Shasta and won impressively 110-80 to go to 8-0 in conference (19-7 overall).

Both CR and Feather River have two games remaining each, including Wednesday’s big showdown, with a big home crowd expected to cheer on the home team.

CR’s only conference loss came at Feather River (78-65) last month and head coach Justin Claus and his players will be eager to avenge that defeat and move into a tie for the conference lead, as they look to secure a remarkable fifth GVC title in six years.

The CR women, however, did not fare as well, losing at Siskiyous on Saturday, 100-84.

The loss came just two days after a huge 72-68 at conference leaders Butte on Thursday, which was the Roadrunners’ first conference loss.

“Siskiyous came out shooting the ball really well and we struggled to defend them,” CR head coach Bree Northern said. “We looked a bit tired out on the court.”

The loss ended a five-game winning streak for the CR women, who dropped to 6-2 in the GVC (14-10 overall) and into a tie with Siskiyous for second in the standings.

Butte remains in the conference lead after a 52-41 win at Lassen on Saturday, improving to 7-1.

Submitted photo

All three conference contenders have two games remaining each, including an important matchup between Siskiyous and Butte at Siskiyous on Wednesday night.

No other team in conference has more than two wins.

The CR women will host Feather River on Wednesday at 5 p.m. in a must-win game.

Itzel Torres continued to impress for Redwoods on Saturday, finishing with a team-high 20 points, as well as six assists, three steals, three rebounds and two blocks.

Former Arcata Tiger, Mayleah Jackson, who is enjoying a very good debut season on the college courts, also impressed in the loss and added 18 points, two assists, one rebound and one block, while another Arcata graduate, Nora Talty, finished just one rebound shy of a double-double.

Talty had 16 points, nine boards, two steals and an assist, while former St. Bernard’s Crusader Aliyah Vigil also impressed with nine points, three rebounds, two steals and two assists.

The CR defense struggled to contain a dangerous Siskiyous offense and gave up a season-high in points.

The visitors trailed by 20 at halftime and were unable to close the gap.

“I thought we did a way better job in the second half,” Northern said. “We found a way to fight through and kept playing together and looking to score. It was just a little too late.

“I am proud of us for not giving up.”

The CR men, meanwhile, were led by Cody Whitmer, who scored a team-high 27 points in their win.

“While the final score shows a 15-point margin, it was a highly competitive game for the majority of the contest,” CR head coach Justin Claus said.

Redwoods maintained a narrow lead for much of the game, but the home team would sneak ahead 64-63 with six minutes remaining.

Claus called a timeout and talked to his players about holding their focus and composure, and they responded with a 19-3 run to help seal the important victory.

“I’m extremely proud of our group for finding the concentration and toughness needed to close out a game like that, especially on the back end of a difficult road trip in a challenging environment like Siskiyous,” Claus said.

Marcos Rosales also impressed for the visitors and finished with 23 points, while Alfonso Medina added 18 points.

File photo/Cal Poly Humboldt Athletics

Jacks split doubleheader at Stanislaus State

Both Cal Poly Humboldt teams were also in action on Saturday, playing road games at Stanislaus State.

The Humboldt women made it two straight wins with a 72-61 victory, improving to 12-4 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (14-8 overall), while the CPH men suffered a third straight loss, falling 74-67 and dropping to 10-6 in conference and 12-10 overall.

With the win, the Humboldt women remain tied with Chico State for third in conference and are four wins ahead of three teams in fifth, including Cal State East Bay, which travels to Lumberjack Arena for a Thursday night showdown.

The Jacks remain well positioned to qualify for next month’s CCAA Tournament.

Jordyn Smith finished with 24 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday’s win.

The Humboldt men, meanwhile, remain third in the conference standings and will also host East Bay on Thursday.

East Bay leads the conference with a record of 15-0 heading into a Saturday night showdown against Cal State Dominguez Hills and is 21-0 overall.