Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – The Arcata bench reacts during the second-quarter rally on Thursday night.

By Ray Hamill — It was a senior night the Tigers won’t easily forget, and a class of seniors well worth celebrating.

With their backs to the wall in their regular season finale against Del Norte at Arcata High on Thursday night, the Tigers answered the call and rallied from a 15-point deficit to pull out a 56-44 win and secure second place in the Big 5 and the No. 2 seed for next week’s Dick Niclai tournament.

The visitors, who had little to play for other than pride, came out fired up for the game and got the better of the early exchanges, opening up a 15-point lead midway through the second quarter.

But in a matter of just a couple of minutes, the Tigers nailed four unanswered 3-pointers to cut the deficit to three.

With that the momentum shifted and the Tigers would dominate for much of the reminder of the game.

After Arcata tied the game in the final minute of the first half, Del Norte took a three-point lead into the break thanks to an Anyessa Bettega 3-pointer in the dying seconds of the half.

But the Tigers outscored the Warriors 29-14 in the second half as they pulled away for the win and closed out the Big 5 with a record of 6-2 (16-6 overall).

“Tonight’s game we emphasized mental toughness,” Arcata head coach Charlie Espinoza said. “Going down 14 in the first quarter we had to show our grit and we did just that.”

The five Arcata seniors — Nora Talty, Melanie Luh, Kyndle Eisner, Gam Namhoot and assistant coach Ayla Kimmel — all have played a key role with the team and they’re not done yet.

“I’m so lucky to take over a program with this group of seniors,” said Espinzoa, who is in his first year as head coach of the team.

Talty scored a game-high 17 points and was tenacious on defense with five steals.

“Nora Talty has been so fun to coach,” Espinoza said of the team leader, who has over 1,000 career points with the Tigers. “She constantly looks to grow as a person … She has had a great career here at Arcata High.

“Kyndle Eisner has been a solid presence for us. On and off the court she consistently helps the young players grow.”

Submitted photo – The Arcata seniors

Namhoot, an exchange student, and Luh, who has been injured for much of the season, each also has played a big role on this year’s team, as has Kimmel.

“Melanie Luh is our rock,” the coach added of the Stanford bound senior. “She’s been out for a majority of the year, but we constantly look to her for a calm presence and she’s not only a great team leader but a great leader in school.”

The coach added that Namhoot “lights up any room” and is “definitely a fan favorite,” while “coach Ayla has been so inspiring and amazing to have around the team.”

Junior Addison Wingate also had a big game and finished with 12 points and four steals, including making some key 3s in the second-quarter rally, while Mayleah Jackson added 11 points against her old team after transferring to Arcata this season.

And the Tigers are hoping their season continues for a few more weeks.

“We are excited to go into county tournament,” Espinoza added. “Our goal as a team is to play 12 more games.”

Bettega scored a game-high 17 points for Del Norte, which closes out conference play 2-6 and is 15-9 overall.

Khloe Smith added nine points in the loss, while Tsinte Steinruck and Lauren Stutes each finished with seven points and Breann Winingham chipped in four points.

The Warriors, who finished fourth in the Big 5, will find out their NCS playoff seed when the brackets are announced a week from Sunday.