File photo – Fortuna’s Bradley Willis (12) and Donald Willis each had a double-double in Thursday’s Big 5 win.

The Fortuna boys solidified their place atop the Big 5 standings with a comfortable 83-51 win over visiting Arcata on Thursday night.

With the win, the Huskies improved to 3-0 in conference play, while the Tigers dropped to 2-2.

In other prep basketball on Thursday night, the Hoopa Valley boys opened their Little 4 account with a 75-65 win at Ferndale, while McKinleyville’s Big 5 struggles continued with a 68-39 loss at Del Norte.

The South Fork boys, meanwhile, ended St. Bernard’s 27-game Little 4 winning streak with a stunning 68-56 road win.

In girls action, Eureka took care of business at home to Hoopa Valley by a score of 72-39.

Arcata 51, Fortuna 83

The Huskies maintained their fast start to conference play with their third win in three Big 5 games.

The Willis twins again were instrumental in the win and continued what has been a sensational season for both with a pair of double-doubles.

Bradley Willis led the way with 29 points and 13 rebounds, while Donald Willis scored 14 points and added 10 boards.

Four different Fortuna players finished with double digits in scoring, including Zac Claus with 16 points and Joeseph Mcginnis with 15.

The loss was the second in the Big 5 this week for the Tigers, who dropped to 2-2 in conference and 8-11 overall.

Next up for Fortuna, which has won five straight and is now 18-1, is a trip to McKinleyville on Tuesday, while the Tigers (8-11 overall) will host McKinleyville next Thursday.

Hoopa Valley 75, Ferndale 65

The Wildcats had no answer for the in-form George Navarro as the visiting Hoopa Valley Warriors ran out to a 10-point win at Ferndale.

Navarro, who has been unstoppable all season and came into the game averaging more than 30 points a game, finished with 42 points.

“He was on,” Hoopa head coach Tyler Mitchell said of Navarro. “He was getting good drives and finishes. He was attacking the basket pretty tough tonight.”

Overall, the coach was more than satisfied with his team’s offensive effort, but not as much with the defense.

“Overall, we did pretty good, but we need to get better defensively,” Mitchell said. “We’re giving up too many points.”

The Warriors led by as many as 21 before allowing the home team narrowed the gap in the fourth quarter.

Wade Nixon added 16 points in the win, while teammate Dennis Young finished with eight points.

With the win, the Warriors improved to 14-6 on the season and 1-0 in the Little 4, while the Cats are now 0-2 in conference and 7-6 overall.

No scoring details were available for the Cats.

Hoopa hosts South Fork on Saturday at 5 p.m. for the conference lead, while Ferndale is scheduled to play at Conerstone Christian in Antioch on Friday.

Girls

Eureka 72, Hoopa Valley 39

The Loggers won their fourth straight game, comfortably taking care of Hoopa Valley at Eureka High in a non-conference showdown on Thursday night.

Sophia Chalmers led the way for Eureka, scoring a team-high 13 points, as the Loggers improved to 13-4.

Tiana Rodgers and Makenna Heckert each also stepped up off the bench, with 11 and nine points, respectively.

With the loss, the Hoopa girls dropped to 3-10, and will return to conference play on Friday at home to Ferndale.

The Eureka girls should face a much tougher challenge on Friday when they host South Medford (10-2), the No. 4 ranked team in Oregon.

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