Submitted photo – Mae Wolford, right, joined the career 1000-point club in Tuesday’s playoff win.

The Arcata Tigers are moving on in the North Coast Section girls Division-1 basketball playoffs after a strong finish against Campolindo on Tuesday night.

The Tigers led by just three late in the third quarter, but enjoyed the better of the late exchanges, starting the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run to stretch the advantage to 13 midway through the period.

And they were able to hold on down the stretch, winning 48-37 and advancing to the weekend quarterfinals.

In other NCS playoff action on Tuesday night, the Eureka Loggers saw a five-point lead slip away in the final two minutes of their Division-1 game at Alameda and lost a heartbreaker 57-56 to end their season.

In Division-3 action, the Del Norte girls traveled to play Jesse M. Bethel in Vallejo and lost 49-41.

The Arcata girls, who are seeded No. 3 in their bracket, will continue their playoff run at home against No. 11 Pinole Valley in Friday night’s quarterfinals, with tip-off set for 7 p.m.

The Pinole Valley girls upset the odds in their playoff opener at No. 6 Cal, winning 54-45.

There was no letdown for the Tigers in their playoff opener just four days after their memorable Dick Niclai Tournament championship win over Eureka.

And it was a particularly memorable night for one player in particular.

Senior Mae Wolford scored a team-high 18 points in the win and celebrated a big career milestone by surpassing the 1000-point career mark.

“Mae has been a pillar in this program for three years now,” Arcata head coach Charlie Espinoza said. “Watching her perform and sacrifice her body every game has been a highlight of my coach’s journey.”

The talented and hard-working senior also had 18 rebounds and five steals.

He twin sister Tae also was hugely influential in the win and finished with 13 points, while sophomore Betty Miles continued to showcase just how far she has come this season with some big baskets on her way to eight points.

Overall, however, it wasn’t the sharpest of team performances from the Big 5 and Niclai champs, but they did enough to keep their season going.

“The name of the game now is survive and advance, and we did just that,” Espinoza said.

With the win, the Tigers improved to 18-4.

Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Action rom Tuesday’s playoff game at Arcata High.

Alameda 57, Eureka 56

Win or lose, the Eureka Loggers have been one of the most entertaining teams in the H-DNL this winter, and that continued to be the case in Tuesday’s playoff opener.

The No. 12 seeds in Division 1 made the trip to the Bay Area to play the No. 5 Hornets and appeared to be headed to victory with a five-point lead in the final two minutes.

However, the home team would close out strong to sneak the win and advance to the weekend quarterfinals.

“Another barn burner for the Eureka Lady Loggers,” said Eureka head coach Cliff Napoleon, whose team has been involved in a lot of close games this year. 

Unfortunately, they were unable to find the basket down the stretch, while the Hornets made their shots to secure the late comeback.

The Loggers had possession with three seconds remaining and ran a play to junior team leader Tiarah Maualuga, who passed to a wide-open Savanhie Phanhsavang under the basket.

But the ball was stolen by an Alameda player and the Hornets ran out the clock.

“It was a great read by Tiarah, the perfect play,” Napoleon said. “But it wasn’t in the stars tonight.”

The Loggers started slow after the long trip south and trailed 20-10 after the opening quarter.

“Their press gave us fits in that first quarter,” said Napoleon, whose team had three turnovers in a 10-second spell that all led to points.

But the visitors would grow into the game with a big second quarter, outscoring the Hornets 15-7 for the period to trail by just two (27-25) at halftime.

The second half was back-and-forth with each team answering the other every time either made a run.

“Another great high school game where both teams never gave up,” the Eureka coach added. “There were no letdowns.”

Maualuga led all scorers with 21 points and went 7 of 9 at the free-throw line, while teammate Nashya Williams also impressed and added 18 points.  

Phanhsavang also had eight points, while Jocilyn O’Donnell chipped in six points.

The Loggers closed out the season 18-10.

Jesse M. Bethel 49, Del Norte 41

The Warriors came up short in their Division-3 matchup in Vallejo in a game head coach Nick Perez felt they should have won.

A strong finish by the Jaguars, however, saw them outscore the visitors 15-9 in the fourth quarter on the way to securing the victory.

Free throws also played a big role in the outcome, with the Jaguars going to the line 27 times, compared to single digits for the Warriors.

But that wasn’t the only difference.

“I thought as a team we didn’t do well getting the ball up the floor,” Del Norte head coach Nick Perez said. “When we got open looks, we took them and made them.”

Sophomore standout Jaylee Keeling capped a big season on the court with a team-high 10 points in the loss, including seven in the third quarter, while freshman Josephine Antonetti added seven points.

Playing in their final high school basketball games, senior Bliss Blackburn and Kansas Coulson added six points each for the Warriors.

Despite the loss, it was a good season for a young Del Norte team that featured just two seniors and have six freshmen and sophomores combined on a roster of 11.

And the coach was happy with the progress he saw from the players this winter.

“I had fun with these girls, and there was a lot of growth for everyone,” said Perez, who in his first first year in charge of the program. “I think we have a good identity. We play tough and hard.”

While disappointed with the ending, Perez described the season as a good building block for the program.

“They’re all pretty good kids and I think they get along really well,” he said. “They work hard, they worked hard all year. We’re going to keep getting better.”

The Warriors closed out with a record of 11-12.

“Good luck to everyone else in league,” Perez added. “We have a strong league, and that got us ready (for the playoffs).”