Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Eureka’s Bella Vigil breaks away during Tuesday night’s game, with Arcata’s Jocelyn Bliven (30) and Olivia Railsback (4) in pursuit.

They say good teams find a way to win games when they don’t play their best, and that was the case for the Eureka Loggers on Tuesday night.

The Loggers got the better of the early exchanges and were able to hold the Arcata Tigers at arm’s length the remainder of the night, posting a 46-35 win in girls basketball at Eureka High.

With the win, the Loggers remain well in the chase for the Big 5 title, improving to 2-1 in conference and 15-5 overall.

“A win in league is a win in league,” Eureka head coach Michael Harvey said. “There are things we could have done better, but a win is a win and that’s what practice is for.

“But I was really pleased with the effort by the entire team. They worked hard and hustled.”

Eureka’s Sophia Chalmers

To be fair to the visiting Tigers, they didn’t make things easy for the home team, overcoming a slow start to push the Loggers all game.

The Loggers got balanced scoring and a strong night by junior Keylei Carroll, who was instrumental in the win at both ends of the court.

“I was really pleased with Keylei Carroll off the bench,” head coach Michael Harvey said. “She provided a big spark for us. Keylei defended well in our press and in our half-court defense.”

Carroll also scored nine points, while Malia Guilbert continued her impressive campaign with a game-high 13 points and was a consistent threat for the Loggers throughout.

The ever-dangerous Sophia Chalmers also had a good night with 11 points, while Bella Vigil scored five and Kellina Pratton added four points in addition to doing a good job directing her teammates.

Arcata’s Olivia Railsback looks to in-bound the ball during Tuesday’s game, with Eureka’s Keylei Carroll defending on the play.

Freshman guard Olivia Railsback led the way on an Arcata team that refused to go away despite trailing 11-3 after the opening quarter.

Railsback finished with 12 points, while teammates Jocelyn Bliven and Isabella Volz-Broughton each finished with six points.

The Tigers, who matched the home team’s 21 points in the second half, are now 9-8 overall and 1-1 in the Big 5.

Grace Talty also scored five points for Arcata.

Next up on Thursday night, the Loggers will host McKinleyville while the Tigers will welcome Del Norte to Arcata High.

In JV action on Tuesday night, the Eureka girls comfortably beat Arcata 56-16.

###

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