Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Arcata senior Nora Talty lines up a free throw during Thursday’s game at McKinleyville.

By Ray Hamill — The Arcata Tigers refused to give up the fight on Thursday night, and neither did the McKinleyville Panthers.

The two Big 5 rivals faced off in a key conference showdown in girls basketball at Mack High and it was the visiting Tigers who came away with a 46-33 victory to keep their title hopes alive.

With the win, the Arcata girls improved to 5-1 in the Big 5 and remain right on the heels of conference leaders Eureka, who improved to 6-0 in the Big 5 with a 67-23 win over Fortuna.

The Loggers and Tigers have two conference games remaining each and will face off at Eureka High on Tuesday in a game that will have a big say in tis year’s championship.

Despite trailing for much of the game, the McKinleyville girls also refused to give up the fight on Thursday and played tenaciously all the way to the final buzzer on their senior night.

Nora Talty led the Tigers with another big performance, as the senior leader continues to thrive in her final season playing high school ball.

“Nora Talty had a great game,” Arcata head coach Charlie Espinoza said. “She showed how impactful she is on both sides of the ball tonight.”

Talty finished with a game-high 14 points and also had five steals.

Junior Mayleah Jackson and sophomore Mae Wolford each added nine points, with the latter coming close to a double-double and also finishing with 15 rebounds.

“We are shorthanded right now, so our leaders stepping up and taking charge is huge for us,” added Espinoza, who’s team is now 15-5 overall.

The Panthers, meanwhile, were led offensively by Gabby Watson, who finished with a team-high eight points.

Tatum Fisher added six points and Liz Mengel and Neyr-res Bartoo each chipped in five points.

Mengel and Bartoo were among the five Mack seniors honored before the game, along with Bella Turner, Taly Turner and Mia Rasmussen.

And all five players have played a pivotal role during their time with the program.

“They are what you would call program players,” head coach Jacob Cheek said of the five standouts. “Overall they bought into the program and they worked hard to be where they’re at. I’m extremely proud of them. They’re true leaders in every aspect.”

Bella Turner is in her third year with the varsity team, while Taly Turner, Mengel, Rasmussen and Bartoo are all two-year varsity players.

Thursday’s game was a physical one played in front of a packed gym, as you might expect from a game between these two rivals.

“I feel it’s difficult when one team can play more physical than the other,” Cheek said. “But I’m proud of my team the way they kept fighting.

“Overall they can hold their heads high.”

The loss dropped the Panthers to 4-3 in conference and 13-8 overall.