File photo – The Del Norte Warriors will close out the Big 5 with games against Fortuna and Arcata next week.

The Del Norte Warriors lost a non-league game at Kelseyville in boys basketball on Saturday, falling 64-53.

Michael Webster had a big game in the loss and finished with a team-high 22 points.

The Warriors fell behind 17-8 after the opening quarter but matched the home team for much of the game after that and closed out strong, outscoring the Knights 20-18 in the fourth quarter.

“The kids played hard,” head coach Cris Rice said. “Foul trouble hurt us in what seemed to be a much tighter officiated game than the last.”

Kai Russell also had a big game for Del Norte and added 10 points, while teammate Aidan Rice finished with six points.

With the loss, the Del Norte boys dropped to 8-14 on the season.

With a 1-5 record in the Big 5, the Warriors have been essentially eliminated from Dick Niclai tournament contention but are determined to close out conference play strong.

“The kids are still competing despite our record, and we look to give Fortuna and Arcata competitive games next week,” Cris Rice said. 

The Warriors play at Fortuna on Wednesday before closing out the Big 5 against Arcata on senior night on Friday.

File photo