File photo

For the second time in a week, the Ferndale Wildcats had to travel to the Bay Area for a playoff game against Cornerstone Christian, and for the second time in a week the game got away from them late.

The Division-6 NorCal matchup between the No. 4 seeded Wildcats and the No. 1 Cougars was close for much of the night, with just one point separating the two schools at the end of the first, second and third quarters.

The Cats carried a 24-23 lead into the fourth, but the Cougars went on an 11-0 run early in the period to take control and never looked back on the way to a 46-31 win.

They outscored Ferndale 23-7 for the fourth quarter.

“We started doubting our shots,” Ferndale head coach Chris Ardrey said. “Even though we were in it, we were just doubting our shots.”

With a power outage in Antioch caused by a car crash in the area, the game was moved the seven or so miles to Heritage High School in Brentwood and that resulted in a delayed tip off.

And once it began, neither team was able to find much rhythm on offense, with just 29 points combined by the two teams for the opening half.

The Cougars began to put some distance between the two schools early in the third, but the Cats would respond with seven unanswered points in a minute to pull even again, and they led by one going into the fourth.

But once again, the Cougars started the quarter fast and opened up a 10-point lead midway through the period.

And this time the Cats were unable to respond, as their season ended two wins shy of a NorCal championship.

Senior Michaela Ellsmore closed out her high school career with a team-high 19 points, including four big 3-pointers at crucial moments of the game.

File photo – Michaela Ellsmore scored a team-high 19 points for Ferndale on Saturday night.

Gianna Regli added eight points and also made her presence felt in the paint with a good night on the boards.

But that was the bulk of the scoring as the Cats were held to their lowest points total since a Jan. 6 game against Fortuna.

Ferndale closed out the season 20-11.

Despite the disappointment of the loss, it was still a memorable season for the Wildcats.

“I’m so grateful I was their coach,” Ardrey said of the players. “It’s been a great ride, but it’s always tough when you don’t bring your ‘A’ game. We had shots, they just didn’t go in.

“It’s tough. I’ve created a good bond with these kids, me and (assistant coach) Jon Marshall.”

When the disappointment of Saturday’s loss fades, the coaches and players have plenty to feel proud about.

“We hit so many goals,” Ardrey said. “We wanted to win a preseason tournament, we did. We wanted 20 wins, we did that. We wanted to go farther in state, we did.

“But it’s tough to go out with a loss instead of going out the way we wanted. We all expected to win this game, and we definitely defensively held them down. The fourth quarter just got away from us.”