Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

By Ray Hamill — Here we go again.

For the second time in a week, Ferndale and Cornerstone Christian will face off in a girls basketball playoff game in Antioch on Saturday night.

It’s also the fifth postseason meeting between these two schools in five years, so familiarity won’t be a problem.

The Cougars comfortably won last weekend’s game, 69-50, to capture this year’s North Coast Section Division-6 title, the program’s second in four years.

But the Wildcats have matched that success in recent years, having beaten Cornerstone Christian in NCS deciders in both 2022 and last year.

And neither team will lack motivation or confidence when they renew their rivalry on Saturday night.

The Cougars have won nine straight games and 17 of their last 18, and they carry an impressive record of 25-7 into the weekend showdown.

They went 10-0 on their way to winning this year’s Bay Counties East league title.

But the Wildcats have been almost as impressive, winning nine of their last 12 games since a disappointing run of form in early January, including playoff wins over Mendocino, Grace Christian Academy and Sacramento Adventist.

They are 20-10 on the season and finished second to Division-3 NorCal quarterfinalists St. Bernard’s in this year’s Little 4.

Both schools also feature prominently in the MaxPreps rankings.

Cornerstone Christian is No. 21 in the Section out of 152 girls programs, while Ferndale is just 12 spots further back at No. 33.

Those rankings are impressive on their own, but especially so considering there are 145 NCS schools with larger student enrollments than either Cornerstone Christian or Ferndale, according to the NCS.

The two schools are also Nos. 1 and 2 in the MaxPreps NCS Division-6 rankings, as they have been for much of the season.

So who has the edge on Saturday night?

Last weekend’s game was a physical encounter with little to separate the two teams for much of the night.

But in the second half the game got away from the Wildcats, who missed too many easy shots while the Cougars took full advantage of their opportunities.

If that happens again this weekend, it will likely end an impressive playoff run for the visitors and secure a place in next week’s NorCal championship game for the top-seeded Cougars.

But the Cats should be better prepared this time around, and this team is unlikely to miss as many opportunities again.

Ferndale has one of the best coaches in the H-DNL in Chris Ardrey, who will have his players well prepared for the big showdown and will ensure they learned from last weekend’s loss.

After that loss, Ardrey said he was hoping for a NorCal rematch with Cornerstone Christian, and he and his players have got their wish, so they will be eager to avenge the defeat, which could be a decisive factor.

Ferndale also features a dangerous starting lineup that has been among the very best in the H-DNL all winter.

The Cats pushed St. Bernard’s and Arcata, two of the best teams in the entire NCS this year, all the way to the final seconds in recent games, showcasing that they are well capable of matching up effectively against very good teams and won’t be intimidated.

The winner of Saturday’s showdown will play for a NorCal title against either No. 2 Redding Christian or No. 4 Forest Lake Christian in next Tuesday’s championship game.

In Division 6, there is no state championship, so the NorCal tournament is the end of the line.

Saturday’s game tips off at 7 p.m. and will be streamed live on the NFHS Network.