Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Head coach Justin Clifton and the Del Norte Warriors during last season’s Dick Niclai championship.

The local prep basketball season tips off this week with several H-DNL teams in action, including the Eureka girls who will open with a pair of key games right off the bat.

In addition to the Loggers, the Fortuna, Hoopa, South Fork, Arcata and St Bernard’s girls are all scheduled to tip off their campaign this week.

The Loggers open on the road against two Division-III teams — Hercules on Friday and Pinole Valley on Saturday — two games that could have a big say on the team’s potential NCS seeding later in the season.

Also on Friday, Arcata is scheduled to open at Hoopa, while South Fork will host Mendocino.

On Saturday, St. Bernard’s travels to play Fort Bragg.

The McKinleyville girls open next week with back-to-back road games at Red Bluff on Monday and Mt. Shasta on Tuesday.

Eureka head coach Michael Harvey and his players will open the new season at Hercules on Friday.

Many of the local boys teams won’t open until next week.

Arcata plays at Hoopa on Monday, followed by McKinleyville at Hoopa on Tuesday.

Also on Tuesday, South Fork is scheduled to play Fort Bragg and Eureka opens at Cloverdale.

Thursday

Girls

South Fork 37, Laytonville 84

It was a tough season opener for the South Fork girls, who fell to a dominating Laytonville program that has eyes on an NCS championship this season.

Kaylee Cotter scored a team-high 17 points for the Cubs, who have a new coach and a new system this year, something that will take some time to adjust to.

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