File photo – McKinleyville’s Bode Douglass

The McKinleyville Panther kept the pressure on the Big 5 leaders with a dominating win over Del Norte in Crescent City on Tuesday night.

The Mack boys won the game 61-38 and improved to 5-1 in conference play with two game remaining.

They remain one win behind the Arcata Tigers, who also took care of business on Tuesday night with a 77-44 win over Fortuna.

The Panthers know there is no room for any more slips up if they are to catch the Tigers, whom they play in their  final conference game at McKinleyville High School next Tuesday night.

But they appear fired up and ready for the challenge.

“One of our best games start to finish all season,” McKinleyville head coach Chris Davis said of Tuesday’s team performance in an arena that is traditionally one of the toughest to play at. “It all started on the defensive end. The guys really stepped up, especially in the second half, to match their physicality.”

Bode Douglass led the way at the offensive end and scored a team-high 16 points in the win, while teammate Neil Moon continued his impressive season with the Panthers and added 14 points.

But it was Cole Armstrong who was the catalyst as the Panthers won a third straight game and for the 10th time in their last 12 games.

“Cole was a difference maker on both sides of the court,” Davis said of the senior, who finished with 13 points. “He really changes an offensive player’s mentality knowing his length is waiting for them by the basket.”

Moon also impressed this coach, especially with his 3-point shooting.

“Neil showed great versatility tonight by not only knocking down 3s but getting in the lane, changing pace and finishing at the rack,” Davis said of the junior guard.

With senior center Nick Maher in foul trouble early, others had to step up and they did not disappoint, with Ray Turner, Gaelen Creighton and Jeremiah Smith all giving their coach valuable minutes., especially in the first half.

With the win, the Panthers guaranteed themselves a top-two finish in this year’s Big 5 and a place in the upcoming Dick Niclai tournament.

The Panthers are now 17-7 on the season.

The Warriors, meanwhile, dropped to 1-5 in conference play and 13-10 overall.

However, they remain in contention for the Dick Niclai tournament, with the top three in conference advancing to the league’s postseason tourney.

Del Norte is one game behind third-place Eureka (2-3) in the Big 5 standings with two games remaining, including a huge matchup against the Loggers at Eureka High on Thursday night.

“Give credit to McKinleyville,” Del Norte head coach Cris Rice said. “We need to regroup and get ready for Eureka. We still have a lot to play for if we can win the next two games.”

After playing at Eureka, the Warriors will close out conference play at home against Fortuna (0-5) the following Thursday.

No scoring stats from Tuesday’s game were immediately available for the Warriors.

File photo – Cole Armstrong