Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

By Ray Hamill — A dream season continued for the Eureka Loggers on Tuesday night.

Three days after clinching the program’s first-ever North Coast Section championship with a road victory over Sonoma Academy, the Eureka boys took care of business in their state playoff opener at Jay Willard Gymnasium.

The Loggers hosted Fortune Early College and held on down the stretch for a 75-67 win to extend their season.

And that wasn’t the only good news for the No. 5 seeds in the Division-5 NorCal bracket.

Also in D-5 action on Tuesday, No. 11 Weed upset No. 4 Argonaut 55-53, which gives the Eureka boys a home quarterfinal against the Cougars on Thursday night.

And if Tuesday’s crowd was any indication of the community interest in the Loggers’ late-season surge, then they can expect another big crowd for their quarterfinal.

On Tuesday, the Eureka players gave the home fans plenty to cheer about early on and showed no signs of any hangover effect from their historic weekend.

With junior standout Xavier De La Rosa setting the early tone, the Loggers started fast, opening up a 28-15 lead after the opening quarter.

They continued to enjoy the better of exchanges in the second quarter, stretching the advantage to 17 (49-32) at the interval.

And while the visitors would cut into that deficit in the second half, pulling within six points midway through the fourth quarter, that early dominance would ultimately prove decisive.

“In the first half, I think we did a really good job executing, especially getting out in transition,” Eureka assistant coach Andrew DeHart said. “We got off to a hot start, which really paved the way for us to be able to hold on (late).”

De La Rosa finished the game with a team-high 20 points, including 18 in the first half.

Fellow junior Ryder Mitchell was equally effective and finished with a double-double, scoring 17 points and pulling down 14 rebounds.

And while the intensity of the Loggers’ performance waned a little late in the game, the players did more than enough to see them over the finish line and keep their memorable campaign going.

“At this stage of the season, a win is a win,” DeHart said. “The kids deserve a lot of credit for sticking with it and continuing to grind it out.”

Four Eureka players finished in double digits in scoring.

In addition to the big nights from De La Rosa and Mitchell, steady Eddie Gonzalez also impressed and added 14 points, while Kyle Giacone finished with 11 points.

Owen Hiscox added eight points in a balanced Eureka performance.

Mitchell was held to just four second-half points, but his presence on the court was felt in other ways.

“Ryder Mitchell deserves a lot of credit,” DeHart added. “As a grounding force he just really helps us control the tempo and makes good decisions.”

Senior Dominic Hardcastle also made his presence felt and helped secure the win with some big moments.

“He just plays the right way with pure hustle,” DeHart said of the senior. “And the team can really count on him.”

The home crowd also played a key role in the win, especially a packed student section.

“We’re so appreciative of the community support, and it really made a difference, especially in a game like that,” DeHart said. “The energy we got from the fans really helped propel us and helped us get the win.”

With the victory, which was their fifth straight in the postseason, the Loggers improved to 19-12, while Fortune Early College closed out the season 21-8.

The Weed Cougars improved to 20-11 with their win on Tuesday.

Thursday’s NorCal quarterfinal will be a rematch of a game between the two schools at Eureka High earlier in the season, which the Loggers won 45-37.

Tip off on Thursday is set for 7 p.m.