Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Anevay Gruetzmacher in action for the Tigers on Friday night.

By Ray Hamill — Their season may have ended on Friday night, but it was a season to remember for the Arcata girls in basketball.

Over the past couple of weeks, the Tigers secured a double championship, winning a second straight Big 5 title and adding a Dick Niclai Tournament championship.

They were included in the Division-1 bracket for the North Coast Section playoffs, matching up against some of the biggest schools and most talented teams in the entire section.

On Tuesday, they dug deep to beat Campolindo 48-37, but they were unable to maintain that momentum in Friday’s bracket quarterfinal, where they fell to Pinole Valley in double overtime by a score of 77-74.

It was, however, a season and a week to remember for head coach Charlie Espinoza and his players, who held off Big 5 rival Eureka in the Niclai final at Lumberjack Arena and carried that momentum into their playoff opener on Tuesday.

But the success on the court is only half the story for this program.

Five of their seven seniors will continue their playing careers on the college courts next winter, and that’s a testament to the culture Espinoza has built in his three years in charge.

And that makes the Tigers our choice for team of the week.

“These kids have changed my life,” Espinoza said after Friday’s loss. “I needed this team this year and they gave me everything they had all year.”

Friday’s game was an exciting one that wasn’t decided until the final seconds of the second overtime period.

And several players stepped up for Arcata, including standout twin sisters Tae and Mae Wolford.

The two Arcata seniors have been among the best players in the H-DNL since breaking into the varsity team as sophomores two years ago.

Tae Wolford (21) in action for the Tigers on Friday night.

Mae Wolford

And they gave it their all once again on Friday, while earning our athlete of the week awards for their three performance over the past eight days.

Tae was exceptional once again against Pinole Valley, scoring a team-high 31 points and pulling down eight rebounds, while Mae, who scored her 1000th career varsity point in Tuesday’s win, finished with a double-double, scoring 16 points and adding 15 boards before fouling out early in the first overtime.

The two standout sisters have been the two most exciting players in the H-DNL to watch play this season and each left their mark on the program, their teammates and their coaches.

“The twins gave everything they had to this school,” Espinoza said. “They are the biggest inspiration to kids in this community. So many girls in this community idolize those two. I’m unbelievably proud of them.”

This is the second time this winter the Wolfords are Humboldt Sports Athletes of the Week, and the second time the Tigers are our team of the week.

But the Wolfords were far from the only standouts in Friday’s game on a team that needed other players to step up after Mae fouled out.

The always improving Betty Miles looks set for two more huge years with this team after the sophomore lifted her game to new heights late in this season.

Against Pinole Valley, the sophomore standout scored 16 points and showcased her hustle with four steals.

Another Arcata sophomore, Anevay Gruetzmacher, was arguably the most clutch player on the court on Friday and also has raised the level of her game with some outstanding performances in recent weeks.

Gruetzmacher finished with seven points against Pinole Valley, including a huge free throw to tie the game with two seconds remaining in the first overtime.

Yet another sophomore, Colby Eisner, scored four points in overtime, to go with 11 rebounds, just one week after she nailed two clutch free throws in the dying seconds of the Niclai final.

The three standout sophomores should keep the Tigers among the very best teams in the H-DNL next year and beyond.

In addition to the twins, fellow seniors Mia Cueto, Syriah George and Izzy Allen will all be playing at the collegiate level after graduation.

Stay tuned for more details on where the five seniors will play.

“They put in the work. They made this a true program. And they put our school on the map,” Espinoza said of the seniors. “Any college coach that gets a Tiger knows that we prepared them to take the next step.”

Friday’s loss was obviously a disappointing one for the team, as with any season-ending defeat.

But when the dust has settled and these players look back on their high school careers, they have every reason to feel proud after what they achieved, including back-to-back Big 5 championships.

“We battled it out tonight,” Espinoza said after the game. “It hurts right now, but I’m so proud of these girls.”