Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Samantha Sundberg in action for the Crusaders.

By Ray Hamill — It was a good winter on the basketball courts for the St. Bernard’s girls, and one player played a particularly key role in that.

The Crusaders won the Little 4 title and made it all the way to the NorCal quarterfinals, while posting yet another 20-win campaign.

And leading the way for the team on the path to success was junior Samantha Sundberg, who has been named MVP of the Little 4.

But that doesn’t come as a surprise to her head coach Matt Tomlin, who feels the junior team captain made her presence felt in a lot of ways.

“Samantha Sundberg is a very deserving league MVP for multiple reasons,” he said. “She was our leading scorer and excelled in shooting, attacking the basket and using her inside post game.

“Sam was also our leading rebounder and often out-competed taller players for the ball.”

Sundberg, who was one of six St. Bernard’s girls to receive all-league recognition, averaged 13.7 points and 7.9 rebounds a game and was also her team’s chief threat from beyond the arc, shooting 34 percent from 3-point range.

And that, coupled with the way she helped lead the way for her teammates on a young roster, is what that really separated her from her peers.

“She was a team captain who provided great leadership to our younger players,” Tomlin added. “Sam carried our team to a championship level with her skill and her leadership.”

Carli Baum

CJ Figas

Fellow junior CJ Figas and sophomore Carli Baum of St. Bernard’s each also were named to the all-league team, which the H-DNL released on Friday.

Baum averaged 11.1 points and a team-high 4.2 assists a game, while Figas averaged 9.8 points and was second on the team with 6.7 boards and 2.1 assists a game.

Freshman Macie Wantt was one of the three Crusaders to receive an all-league honorable mention, along with teammates Alyssa Boham and Tally Williams.

The Crusaders were 6-0 in the Little 4 and 23-9 overall.

The Ferndale Wildcats placed second in conference and also made it to the NorCal playoffs, where they won their opening game before eventually seeing their season end in the semifinals.

And the Wildcats had two players make the all-league team.

Tinnley Pidgeon

Madison Gossi

Senior team captains Tinnley Pidgeon and Madison Gossi were each included, while fellow senior Michaela Ellsmore was an honorable mention after also closing out her high school career with a big season.

The Cats finished the season 20-11, including a 4-2 record in the Little 4.

A young Hoopa girls team that featured mostly freshmen this winter, had three players receive all-league recognition.

Junior Wau’Kel Blake was named to the all-league team, along with impressive freshman Vuunsip E-Kor, the latter of whom made an immediate impact at the varsity level.

Another Hoopa freshman, Jessie Moon, was included among the honorable mentions.

The Warriors finished the season 8-16 and were 2-4 in league play.

The South Fork girls, meanwhile, had two players receive all-league recognition, including senior team captain Karalynn Worswick, who was included on the all-league team.

Fellow senior Aubrey Young received an honorable mention for the Cubs.

The all-league awards are voted on by the conference coaches.

Wau’Kel Blake