St. Bernard’s junior varsity boys basketball team used strong second and third period play to defeat the South Fork Cubs, 41-31, Thursday night in Eureka.

Poor shooting, especially at the free throw line, again hurt the young Cubs. Already weakened by the loss of sophomore Hokeem Sadon, who suffered a broken finger the week previous, South Fork jayvees were hampered further in this game by injuries to Forrest Mitchell (numbness in his right arm) and Levi Paine (shin splints), although those two were able to play limited minutes.

The Crusaders, led by Ayala with 10 points and Eunamarino with 8 points, parlayed a 30-13 run over the middle two quarters to victory. Nick Marino led Cubs scorers with 11 points, while Mitchell contributed 8 and Paine added six.

The Cubs will be at home tonight against the Ferndale Wildcats and will entertain the McKinleyville Panthers Thursday. Both games will start at six o’clock.