Submitted photo – The Arcata girls placed second at the Healdsburg tournament over the weekend.

The Arcata girls almost pulled off a stunning comeback in the championship game at the Redwood Empire Invitational Basketball Tournament in Healdsburg on Saturday night.

Trailing by 13 points with just three minutes remaining, the Tigers rallied to pull within two points of Justin-Siena and had a shot at the end to potentially send the game to overtime, but ultimately came up just short.

A quality Braves team held on for a 61-59 win, handing the Arcata girls their first loss of the season.

“One of the best games I’ve been a part of no matter the outcome,” said first-year Arcata head coach Charlie Espinoza, whose team is now 5-1. “The ladies came and treated this like a business trip.”

Sophomore twin sisters Mae and Tae Wolford have played a huge role in the Tigers’ fast start to the season and were named defensive players of the tournament.

Guards Mayleah Jackson and Nora Talty also continued to shine for the Arcata girls and have been one of the most impressive local tandems through the opening two weeks of the season.

“Mayleah Jackson stepped up big this tournament, proving that her and Nora are one of the best backcourt duos in the area,” Espinoza said.

Kyndle Eisner also had a big tournament and has been a big-time player for the Tigers early in the season, according to her coach.

Eisner was particularly effective on the defensive side of the ball and was outstanding guarding “one of the best players she’ll ever match up against” in the final.

Jackson led the offense with 16 points in the loss, while Mae Wolford and Eisner each had 12 points and Tae Wolford finished with 11 points.

“I’m so proud of this team,” the coach added.

The outstanding Arcata defense stole the ball four times on traps in the final three minutes to help key the late rally.

The Wolford sisters, Jackson and Addison Wingate all had big defensive stops in that span.

“We are starting to really build something as a team,” Espinoza said.

The Tigers will look to keep their impressive start to the season going when they travel to compete in the Monterey Trail Tournament this week in Elk Grove, where Espinoza expects to face some good competition.