Long ago and far, far away

It's your one last chance to catch hoops until next season — and this should be some good ball.

The inaugural Northern California Senior All-Star Showcase game will tip-off tonight at 7 p.m. in the River Valley High gym, and all but five players are from the Mid-Valley area.

And while Yuba City High's Zach Nelson bumping shoulders with Isaiah Bohmann in the post will certainly garner most of the crowd's attention, there's a couple of other players I'd like to see again.

Of the five players invited to the all-star game, two include a pair of youngsters from a little ol' place called McKinleyville.

Back when gray hairs weren't an issue and I was covering sports for the Eureka Reporter newspaper in Humboldt County, I was lucky enough to catch Chris Pender and Logan Kiff provide sparks off the bench as underclassmen on the Panthers.

I knew they had talent, but I didn't see them being invited to an all-star game that's nearly a six-hour drive away.

Tucked away alongside a Redwood filled beach, lies McKinleyville, or Mack, as we used to call it. There, Pender averaged 15.5 points and three assists a game to lead the Panthers (18-7) to the quarterfinals of the North Coast Section quarterfinals this year. Alongside him, Kiff averaged 11 points and six rebounds.

While many in attendance will be rooting for Gabriel Finley, Ty Nichols, Alex Cummings, etc., I know who I'd be pulling for — Mack.