Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

By Ray Hamill — A competitive and back-and-forth game got away from the College of the Redwoods women in their playoff opener in basketball on Wednesday night.

The CR women welcomed Hartnell to the North Coast and there was never more than a few points separating the two teams through the opening three quarters.

But the Panthers dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring their hosts 28-8 for the period on the way to a 67-51 victory.

It was also a disappointing night for the College of the Redwoods men’s team, which traveled to play Sierra in its playoff opener and lost 91-79.

The CR men closed out the season 19-10, while the women finished up 16-13.

Playing in front of a large home crowd, the Redwoods women appeared well up for the challenge early in the night and served up an entertaining showdown for the North Coast fans.

“We didn’t quite get the result we wanted from the game, but I am beyond proud of my team and all they have accomplished this season,” CR head coach Bree Northern said. “They fought through so much adversity, never gave up, and all of their hard work paid off and rewarded them with a home playoff game.

“This team had so much heart and fight in them. We gave it our all out there tonight and unfortunately it just didn’t go our way.”

Itzel Torres led the way for the home team and finished with a team-high 15 points, as well as six rebounds, four steals and two assists, while teammate Addison Wingate came within a point of a double-double, finishing with 10 rebounds, nine points, three blocks, a steal and an assist.

Overall, it was a balanced night for Redwoods.

Former Arcata Tigers Nora Tałty and Olivia Railsback each scored eight points, with Talty adding seven rebounds and a steal and Railsback adding four assists, three rebounds and a pair of steals.

Former South Fork Cub Caidence Young chipped in six points and four rebounds, while Aliyah Vigil had three points and two boards and Paityn Erlenbush had five rebounds, two points, a steal and a block.

“Hartnell is a great team and it was such a fun game to be a part of,” Northern added “Thank you everyone that came out to the game and cheered us on. The community support means so much to us.”

Northern also expressed her appreciation to assistant coaches DJ Snowton and Emily Gardner — “they did so much for our team and are a huge component to our success,” she said — as well as the team, family, friends, fans, the CR administration and staff and “everyone else in the community that has played a role in supporting us one way or the other.”

“We would not be where we are today without them,” the coach added. “It’s been an absolute pleasure coaching this team. I am so proud of them and will miss them so much. It’s been an unforgettable season.”

No stats were immediately available for the CR men.