File photo – The Arcata Tigers got the Big 5 off to a winning start on Tuesday night.

The race for this year’s Big 5 championship in boys basketball is expected to be one of the most wide open and competitive in years, and Tuesday’s opening night did little to dispel those expectations.

And it was a good night for the road teams, with McKinleyville and Arcata getting their league campaigns off to a winning start.

The Panthers traveled to Crescent City and came away with a hard-fought 53-47 victory over the Del Norte Warriors, while the Tigers won at Fortuna, 53-52.

Nick Maher and Cole Armstrong each had a double-double for the Panthers, who improved to 12-6 overall and 1-0 in the Big 5.

Maher scored 12 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, while Armstrong scored 11 and also had 10 boards.

The Panthers saved their best for late in the game.

They trailed by four at halftime and by two after three quarters, but would outscore the home team 18-10 in the final period to pull out the come-from-behind victory.

Senior guard Jordan Brown also was instrumental in the win and scored a team-high 13 points, including four in the fourth to help key the late rally, while Bode Douglass added eight points.

Michael Webster had a big game for the host team and finished with a game-high 19 points, but the Warriors’ offense fizzled late as the game got away from them and they scored just four points in the opening seven minutes of the fourth quarter.

Lyon Rigden also had a good game for the Warriors, who dropped to 6-9 on the season and 0-1 in league.

Rigden finished with 14 points, while Collin Tromble added seven points, including a big 3-pointer to pull his team within five in the final minute.

Aidan Rice chipped in four points for Del Norte.

Del Norte head coach Cris Rice described the loss as a “heartbreaker.”

At Fortuna, meanwhile, sophomore Luke Lemke hit a game-clinching 3-pointer in the dying seconds to cap a big night for the standout guard.

The Tigers, who have been battling injuries for much of the season and were shorthanded once again for their league opener, improved to 8-7 overall and 1-0 in league.

They led after each of the opening three quarters, but found themselves trailing late before Lemke’s big finish.

The standout guard scored 10 in each half for a team-high 20 points, including a pair of 3s.

File photo – The Fortuna Huskies

“The kid’s a sophomore and he’s just playing at a senior level right now,” Arcata head coach Kellen Maynard said of Lemke, who has taken his game to new heights this winter after seeing just limited action a year ago. “It’s amazing to watch.

“For him to be doing what he’s doing right now is so impressive.”

Teammate Dayquan Dunn also had a good game and finished with 14 points, including 10 in the second half, while Finn Warner chipped in five points and Lennon Geider and Dawson Vallerga each had four points.

“Dayquan stepped up huge for us when we needed it in the second half,” Maynard said.

The Huskies’ dynamic duo of Alfonso Medina and Russell Pascascio combined for 35 points in the loss.

Medina scored a game-high 23 points, while Pascascio finished with 12 points.

Kobe Spaulding added eight points for Fortuna and Jace Barsanti chipped in four points.

With the loss, the Huskies dropped to 0-1 in conference and 10-6 overall.

The Tigers played without reigning league MVP Luke Moxon, who Maynard describes as day to day.

The Eureka Loggers had an opening night bye in the Big 5, which continues on Thursday night when McKinleyville travels to Fortuna and Eureka plays at Del Norte.

In JV action, Fortuna and McKinleyville won their games, as did the Del Norte and Fortuna freshmen teams.

File photo – The McKinleyville Panthers