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By Ray Hamill — Whether or not a school the size of St. Bernard’s belongs in the Division-3 field for the North Coast Section and state playoffs has been a hotly debated subject here in Humboldt County in recent weeks.

On Tuesday, St. Bernard’s — a high school with fewer than 200 students — traveled to play Alisal in Salinas, a school with almost 2800 students, in the opening round of the NorCal tournament.

On Thursday night, the Crusaders will play their quarterfinal at Menlo-Atherton, a school with approximately 2150 students.

This follows NCS playoff games against Division-1 Liberty (2787 students, according to the NCS), D-3 Miramonte (1171) and D-2 Mission San Jose (1796), two of which St. Bernard’s won.

But while many fans and neutral observers believe the Crusaders are being treated unfairly by being forced to play schools 14 times their size in the playoffs because of competitive equity rules, about the only people who are not complaining — at least not publicly — are the SB coaches and players themselves.

Instead, they are going about their business, taking care of what they can control, and perhaps even using the perceived slight as motivation.

Carli Baum certainly appears to be.

The “smallest player in the gym” in Tuesday’s game, according to SB head coach Matt Tomlin, stood taller than anyone in the building and turned in a career performance in what has been a career full of them.

No one player has epitomized her team’s collective “bring it on” approach to the lofty challenge of having to play these larger schools more than the sensational sophomore.

Baum scored a team-high 27 points in a 51-48 upset win at Alisal that sent shockwaves around the bracket, inspiring her teammates with her tenacious play and gutsy approach to the challenge, as she usually does.

The young point guard was outstanding against the home team’s relentless full-court pressure and handled the occasion and matchup exceptionally well.

“The smallest player in the gym put on an absolute show tonight,” Tomlin said afterwards.

And she wasn’t the only SB player to leave a lasting impression on the Trojans and their fans, who must have left the gym wondering what just happened.

Submitted photo – St. Bernard’s head coach Matt Tomlin talks to his players during a time out in Tuesday’s game.

It took a collective team effort by the Crusaders to beat a team that had lost just five times in 27 games before Tuesday night.

According to Tomlin, who has seen his share of upsets and great moments in a long and storied coaching career, “the Amazing Lady Crusaders faced the challenge head on, stayed together as a team and found a way to pull off the big-time upset with heart, courage, grit, toughness and togetherness.”

And that’s something few opposing teams will ever overcome, no matter how many students they have to choose a roster from.

It was a special win for a program and fanbase that has become accustomed to special wins over the last few years, a run that has included memorable NorCal and Niclai wins over Arcata, three straight 20-win regular seasons, and a first-ever state championship for the H-DNL.

What makes Tuesday’s win even more special is the fact that it was achieved by a young squad that features just two seniors and a team that most observers didn’t expect to peak until next winter.

But the bigger the challenge, the higher these young players seem to rise.

They’ll face another huge challenge on Thursday, on the road against a Bears team that is 22-5 and won this year’s Central Coast Section Division-1 championship.

The SB fans may not like it, but the players will no doubt face another daunting challenge head on without complaining about things they have no control over.

And when all is said and done, win or lose, they’ll arrive back in Humboldt County with their heads held high.

And don’t be surprised if they arrive home with another game to prepare for.

Carli Baum