Basketball Recap: Elijah Estrada Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Piner

Eureka hadn't done well against Piner recently (they were 1-7 in their previous eight matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Saturday. The Eureka Loggers came out on top against the Piner Prospectors by a score of 79-71. While the Loggers didn't have the best season last year (they finished 12-15), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.

Eureka's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Elijah Estrada, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and ten rebounds. What's more, Estrada also racked up three assists, the most he's had since back in December of 2023. Will Mooney was another key player, dropping a double-double on 19 points and ten rebounds.

Despite the loss, Piner still got an impressive performance from Apollo Pereira, who posted 38 points along with five rebounds and four steals. That was a full 53.5% of Piner's points, marking the seventh time in a row he's had more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Tyler Coester, who put up five points in addition to ten assists and five boards.

Eureka's win ended a three-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 5-1. As for Piner, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 4-4.

Eureka will host Laytonville at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Eureka is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 60.5 points per game this season. As for Piner, they wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next match, a 64-53 victory against Sonoma Valley on the 17th.