File photo – The Arcata girls won their opening game at the Healdsburg tournament.

The Arcata Tigers won their opening game at the Redwood Empire Invitational tournament on Thursday night, defeating Ukiah 70-64 at the Redwood Empire Invitational tournament at Healdsburg.

After leading for much of the second half, the Tigers saw their advantage dwindle down to three in the final 90 seconds but secured the win with a clutch performance down the stretch.

“The last minute and a half we played the most poised basketball we’ve played all year,” head coach Doug Oliveira said. “We took care of the ball, we rebounded, we defended and we made some free throws at the end.”

The win was the fourth in five games this season for the Tigers, who will play Justin-Siena in the winners bracket on Friday night at 5 p.m.

Grace Talty led the way offensively for Arcata on Thursday and finished with 21 points, while Alia Prentiss also continued to impress and had 12 points.

Melanie Luh and Nora Talty chipped in 11 points apiece.

“We played pretty well in stretches,” Oliveira said. “We kept them in the game though with poor decision making and not taking care of the ball, but we did a pretty good job when we needed to.”

Justin-Siena 48, Fortuna 43

The Huskies rallied from a sluggish second quarter to take the lead late in Thursday night’s tourney opener at Healdsburg, but were unable to hold on down the stretch in a close game.

Isobel Crosswhite scored a team-high 11 points in the loss, while teammate Ashley Tully added nine points and Kylee Fennell eight.

With the loss, the Fortuna girls are now 3-4 on the season.

They will continue tourney play against Ukiah on Friday at 3:30 p.m.

South Fork 48, Mendocino 24

The South Fork Cubs continued to roll with their third win of the week after opening the Potter Valley tournament with a 24-point victory on Thursday.

Summer Contreras scored a game-high 11 points in the win, including seven in the fourth quarter, as South Fork improved to 4-1.

Teammate Kaylee Cotter added 10 points and Macy Yarbrough and Shawnessy Conway-O’Neill both finished with seven points.

The Cubs continue tourney play on Friday.

Fort Bragg 49, Hoopa 40, OT

The Hoopa girls dropped their tourney opener at Trinity on Thursday, falling in overtime to the Timberwolves.

Taylor Cole scored a team-high 13 points to lead a balanced performance offensively for the Warriors, with several players contributing off the bench.

Bethany Masten added eight points and Ivy Lamebear and Tatianna Colegrove finished with seven points apiece.

The Warriors (1-6) will continue tournament play on Friday.

Wednesday

McKnleyville 50, Kelseyville 22

The Panthers opened play at the Redwood Empire Invitational in Healdsburg with a 50-22 win over Kelseyville on Wednesday night.

The Mack girls started slow but settled into the game on the way to their second win of the season.

“We’re trying to get over the hump of playing a full 32 minutes,” head coach Jacob Cheek said. “But we always pick up our heads and continue playing hard.”

Isabella Turner scored a team-high 11 points in the win, while Kim Lewis added 10, Kathryn Tinney six and Camryn Pinard five.

The team defense has been a strength early in the season.

“Offensively we struggled, but at the same time defensively we dominated and recovered the ball well,” Cheek said.

With the win, the Mack girls improved to 2-2.

They will continue tourney play against Healdsburg on Friday night at 8.