Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

By Ray Hamill — The Ferndale Wildcats feature prominently in our weekly awards after a big week for the school’s girls basketball team.

The Wildcats responded well to last weekend’s North Coast Section championship game loss at Cornerstone Christian with a big win in their NorCal playoff opener on Wednesday.

Ferndale hosted Sacramento Adventist and overcame a late five-point deficit on the way to a 50-41 win to advance to this weekend’s Division-6 semifinals.

And that makes the Cats, who are the last remaining H-DNL team still playing, our choice for team of the week.

Head coach Chris Ardrey, who guided the team to a section championship a year ago, has done another good job with the Cats this winter and has them just two wins from a potential NorCal championship.

But the state playoff win over Sacramento Adventist wasn’t the only big story of the night for the team.

A few minutes into the second quarter, senior Tinnley Pidgeon enjoyed a milestone moment, much to the delight of the home fans.

Pidgeon reached 1,000 career points at the varsity level.

The standout senior finished the night with 10 points, giving her 1,007 for her career.

And that makes Pidgeon one of our choices for athletes of the week.

Joining her this week is another Little 4 standout.

Sophomore Carli Baum has been one of the most impressive young players in the entire H-DNL this winter and is showing no signs of slowing down.

On Tuesday night, the SB point guard had a huge game in the Crusaders’ state playoff opener at Alisal High School in Salinas.

Baum scored 27 points to lead the way for the No. 14 seeded St. Bernard’s girls, who upset the odds against the No. 3 Trojans, winning 51-48.

Their season would come to an end two nights later in the Division-3 quarterfinals at Menlo-Atherton, but that doesn’t take away from a monster performance by Baum in one of the biggest games of her young career.

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

Tinnley Pidgeon

Ferndale Basketball, Senior

Pidgeon will be missed by the Cats when she graduates later this year.

She has made a big impact on multiple Ferndale teams during her time as a Wildcat, including in soccer, basketball and softball.

“It was special for Tinnley tonight,” Ardrey said after the win. “I was glad to be a part of her career. She’s a great kid in the gym and an even better human out of it.”

For more on her big night, see Wildcats prevail in NorCal opener on milestone night for Pidgeon …

Carli Baum

St. Bernard’s Basketball, Sophomore

Baum rose to the challenge when St. Bernard’s, a high school of less than 200 students, faced off against Alisal, a school of almost 2,800 students.

The tenacious guard epitomized the Crusaders’ fighting spirit, as they stunned the Trojans with one of the program’s more memorable wins in recent times.

“The smallest player in the gym put on an absolute show tonight,” SB head coach Matt Tomlin said of Baum after the game.

For more on her big week, see Crusaders rise to the challenge, stun the No. 3 seeds in Division 3 …

TEAM OF THE WEEK 

Ferndale Girls Basketball 

As the last remaining league team still competing this winter, the Wildcats will carry the hopes of H-DNL fans into Saturday night’s NorCal semifinal at Cornerstone Christian in Antioch.

But win or lose, it’s been another hugely successful campaign for Ardrey and his players.

While Pidgeon has played a huge role on the path to the NorCal semis, she is far from the only standout on a team that has needed several players to step up to get this far.

Seniors Michael Ellsmore and Madison Gossi have also been hugely influential in the late-season surge, as have juniors Gianna Regli and Teresa Catana, among several others.

The team’s three captains — Pidgeon, Ellsmore and Gossi — all had big games in Wednesday’s win, as the Cats continued to roll.

For more on their big night, see Wildcats prevail in NorCal opener on milestone night for Pidgeon …