The McKinleyville Panthers improved to 3-1 in boys basketball with a 57-50 win over Shasta in their home opener on Tuesday night.

The Mack boys were fired up for the occasion, perhaps a little too much so.

“We anticipated emotions being high for our kids with it being our home opener and addressed it as best as possible,” head coach Chris Davis said. “In the end we’ll need to learn from this game on how to improve our composure.”

With two players fouling out late and another sidelined early through injury, the Panthers had to dig deep to seal the win.

Flynn Creighton helped secure the win with some clutch late free throws.

“Luckily we were able to execute a bit better down the stretch,” said Davis, who said Creighton “provided excellent energy all game long.”

Senior guards Jordan Brown and Justin Wells each also were instrumental in the win with their defensive pressure, while junior Kaden Waugh, “stepped up and played high energy and effective minutes off the bench to really give us a spark,” the coach said.

Shasta, which also fell to Eureka on Monday, dropped to 0-2.

The Panthers will now turn their attention to this week’s McKinleyville tournament, which tips off on Thursday.

Seven teams will compete, including Arcata and Hoopa.

The action gets under way with three games on Thursday.

Arcata plays San Lorenzo at 4 p.m., followed by Lincoln and Eagle Point at 5:30 p.m and Cosumnes Oaks and Hoopa at 7 p.m.

The host Panthers will have a bye on Thursday and will begin tournament play against the winner of the Cosumnes Oaks/Hoopa game at 7 p.m. on Friday.

File photo – Jordan Brown