By Ray Hamill — The Huskies and Panthers set a high standard for the rest of this week’s Dick Niclai tournament.

In first-round action on Tuesday night, the McKinleyville and Fortuna boys served up a highly-entertaining showdown at Mack High in a game that went right down to the wire.

When all was said and done, it was the host Panthers who walked away with a 53-50 win, with senior Justin Wells hitting the game-winning basket with just 15 seconds remaining.

The fourth quarter saw numerous lead changes as the two schools battled back and forth, with the home team and defending Niclai champs getting the better of exchanges in the final seconds to secure the victory.

It was McKinleyville’s third straight win over the Huskies.

The win for the Panthers was a great response to their disappointing loss to Arcata 24 hours earlier and sends them on to Thursday night’s semifinals.

The Mack boys will now get a rematch with St. Bernard’s, a team that has won 14 straight games, including a 53-47 win over the Panthers in mid January.

The Panthers, however, are one of just two teams to beat St. Bernard’s this season, getting the better of them 37-34 at the Eureka tournament in mid December, which was the last time the Crusaders suffered a defeat.

Can the Panthers do it again, or will the Crusaders continue to roll?

We’ll find out on Thursday night at College of the Redwoods, with tip off set for 7:30 p.m.

The game will also be broadcast live on The Beat 95.1 FM.

Check out the fourth quarter highlights from Tuesday’s game above.

Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Action from Tuesday’s game at McKinleyville.