Just three days after facing off in the championship game of the Lady Panther Classic, the St. Bernard’s and McKinleyville girls met again on the basketball court on Tuesday night.

But this time around it was the Crusaders winning a hard-fought encounter 54-48 at St. Bernard’s, and gaining a measure of revenge for Saturday’s championship game loss.

Junior Josie Peterson was clutch for the Crusaders, scoring 10 of her game-high 16 points in the fourth quarter, as St. Bernard’s held off a second-half McKinleyville surge.

Jasa Sisemore added 13 points for the Crusaders, who improved to 6-4, while teammate Emily Gardner finished with 12 points and Mackenzie Finck six.

The Panthers started the slower of the two teams, and found themselves facing a 14-5 deficit after the first quarter.

The Crusaders stretched the advantage to 10 by halftime, but the McKinleyville girls responded in the second half, outscoring the home team in each of the final two quarters to make a game of it.

The Crusaders were able to hold on, however, thanks in large part to the clutch shooting of Peterson, who played the fourth quarter with four fouls.

Rayn Tripp led the Panthers’ second-half charge with 11 of her team-high 14 points coming in the final two quarters.

Rian Heenan and Cameron Heenan each finished with eight points for Mack, while Grace Rosebrook had six.

McKinleyville, which dropped to 7-3, will play its Big 5 opener at Arcata on Wednesday night.

Next up for the Crusaders is a home game against Arcata on Friday night.

Boys

Hoopa Valley 63, Arcata 60

The St. Bernard’s girls weren’t the only ones who got a measure of revenge on Tuesday night, with Hoopa Valley getting the better of the Tigers at Arcata High.

The two teams met on the second day of the Logger Classic on Friday, with Arcata rolling to a 20-point win.

This time around, however, the Warriors came out stronger from the get-go, maintaining a slender lead for much of the night and holding on for the win.

“It was a close one,” Hoopa head coach Joe Marshall said. 

The difference in this game was a more focused defensive performance by the visitors, who held the home team to 20 less points.

“The last time we got sloppy on defense,” Marshall said. “We made adjustments, we learned from the loss, and it was a big difference maker for us.”

The Warriors, who improved to 9-3, will have a break in action until after Christmas, when they travel to play at the Head-Royce tournament in Oakland.

The Tigers dropped to 4-6 and will host Kelseyville on Wednesday at 3 p.m.

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Ray Hamill writes at humboldtsports.com, where you can read lots more about sports in Humboldt County.