Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Mayleah Jackson in action for the Arcata Tigers on Wednesday night.

By Ray Hamill — Bring on the Loggers!

The Arcata Tigers overcame a sluggish start to a rivalry game on Wednesday night before pulling away in the second half for a 45-33 win over McKinleyville in girls basketball at Arcata High School.

The come-from-behind win lifts the Arcata girls to 2-0 in the Big 5 and leaves them in a tie with Eureka atop the conference standings, with the two frontrunners set to face off in a pivotal showdown at Arcata High on Friday night.

But they had to dig deep after a slow start to Wednesday’s game, a start that saw them score just one basket from play in the opening 10 minutes.

“The effort tonight was huge,” Arcata head coach Charlie Espinoza said. “We always expect teams to come and give us their best game and Mack came out of the jump swinging.”

The home team, however, would settle into the game and closed out the half on a 16-4 run, turning what had been an eight-point deficit into a four-point lead at the break.

The Tigers would continue to pull away in the third quarter and opened up an 11-point advantage going into the fourth quarter.

“We stayed confident in our style of play and embraced the speed and physicality they brought in the first half,” Espinoza said. “The second half we adjusted well defensively and I was super stoked on how we were jumping passes.”

Kyndle Eisner, who has established herself as a key member of this Arcata team, scored a game-high 14 points and was “huge in the win,” according to Espinoza, while fellow senior Nora Talty set the tone on the defensive end.

“Nora Talty is always a huge offensive threat hitting some big shots, but I think she’s one of the most underrated defensive guards in the area,” her coach said. “She reads the ball so well.”

Talty and teammate Mae Wolford each finished the game with four steals, while Cayenne Pruter gave the home team a much-needed spark off the bench.

According to the coach, Pruter always comes in “ready to play.”

“We ran the break really well,” added Espinoza, whose team improved to 12-3 on the season.

The win was their fourth straight and seventh in eight games.

The Panthers came ready to play against their biggest rivals and opened up a 13-5 lead early in the second quarter.

However, they were unable to maintain the momentum as the Tigers began to find their groove.

The loss was the first in conference play for the Mack girls, who fell to 2-1 in the Big 5 and 11-6 overall.

The Panthers had balanced scoring with four players — Taly Turner, Tatum Fisher, Gabby Watson and Bella Turner — each finishing with seven points.

McKinleyville has a bye in conference play on Friday, before trying to get back to winning ways at home against Eureka next Wednesday.