File photo – Mae Wolford

The Del Norte Warriors gave the Arcata Tigers all they could handle for much of the night and led by two points heading into the final quarter in Crescent City on Wednesday night.

The visitors, however, would finish the stronger of the two teams and outscored their hosts by 11 in the final period to secure a 41-32 come-from-behind win in Big 5 girls basketball.

The victory keeps the Tigers in contention for a Big 5 championship at the halfway stage of conference play, as they improved to 3-1 in league and remain just one win behind Eureka in the standings.

After struggling to make their shots in the first half, the Tigers made some key baskets down the stretch on the way to the victory in one of the toughest gyms to play at in the Big 5.

“It’s always good to leave Del Norte with a win,” Arcata head coach Charlie Espinoza said. “We got some really good shot opportunities sin the first half, they just weren’t falling. In the second half we really banked on our defense.”

It was a successful and impressive return to Crescent City for Arcata junior Mayleah Jackson, who was playing against her old team.

“She kept her cool and we kept it classy when the environment got a little ugly,” said Espinoza, who added “Everyone that played contributed. I’m proud of our girls for handling that hostile environment.”

Sophomore Mae Wolford continued to play a key role for the Tigers and finished with a game-high 14 points despite suffering a first-half injury that forced her to the bench.

Wolford would return in the second half and nailed some clutch free throws late to help ice the win.

File photo – Mayleah Jackson

“When she came into the game, you couldn’t tell that she was hurt,” Espinoza said. “And she really helped spark our intensity to finish the game.”

Jacalyn Gorbet scored a team-high 10 points for the Warriors, who dropped to 1-3 in the Big 5 and 14-6 overall.

“It was a physical contest. Both teams showed toughness,” said Del Norte head coach Dylan Nelson, who added “I’m proud of the way we competed.”

Tsinte Steinruck added eight points for Del Norte and Breann Winingham finished with five points.

The Tigers, who are now 13-4 overall, will host Fortuna on Friday night, while Del Norte will host McKinleyville.

Another Big 5 games on Wednesday, the Eureka Loggers improved to 4-0 in conference play with a 56-29 win at McKinleyville.