The St. Bernard’s girls pulled out an impressive win over a team they could meet again in the playoffs, defeating University 35-28 in overtime at the MLK Classic at Marin Catholic High School.
The win was the 11th straight for the Crusaders, who improved to 16-4, with the Red Devils pushing them closer than any of their other opponents in that run.
In what was a low-scoring game, University held a one-point lead at halftime, and stretched it to just two going into the fourth quarter.
The Crusaders, however, held the Red Devils to just four points in the final period of regulation, and outscored them 7-0 in overtime to pull out the win.
The three St. Bernard’s senior captains — Emily Gardner, Jasa Sisemore and Maddie Costa — led the way, setting the tone on both sides of the ball, with Gardner dominating inside and scoring 17.
Sisemore added six points.
“It was a great game,” St. Bernard’s head coach Mark Gardner said. “It felt just like a section playoff game.”
St. Bernard’s is currently the No. 1 ranked team among North Coast Section Division-V schools, with University No. 5. The two teams met in last season’s NCS semifinal.
“Much credit to University and their coaches, they are a great team,” Mark Gardner added.
The Crusaders host South Fork on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
Boys
Fortuna 68, Ferndale 58
The Wildcats played the Huskies a lot closer than most people would have thought, before falling by 10 points in a non-conference game between the two rivals on Monday night.
Drew Gillette scored a game-high 40 points for the Huskies, who improved to 21-1 on the season.
Cody Sampson scored a team-high 18 points for the Cats, who dropped to 8-10, while teammate Kyler Becksted scored 17 and was instrumental in keeping his team in the game in the first half.
Ferndale point guard Gio Magdaleno did a good job distributing the ball in the first half and caught fire offensively after the interval, scoring 15 second-half points.
Bradley Willis also had a good game for Fortuna, finishing with 13 points, while Ferndale’s Tristian Martin had a big night on the boards at both ends of the court.
The Wildcats play at McKinleyville on Tuesday, while Fortuna hosts Del Norte on Wednesday in a key Big 5 showdown.
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Ray Hamill writes at humboldtsports.com, where you can read lots more about sports in Humboldt County.