Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – McKinelyville’s MaryAnn Som reacts during Wednesday’s game against Del Norte.

The job is far from done, but the Arcata Tigers took another big step towards their first Big 5 championship in girls basketball in seven years on Wednesday night.

The Arcata girls traveled to Fortuna and came away with a 49-37 win, improving to 6-0 in conference play with two games remaining.

Those two games are both at home, against McKinleyville and Eureka next week, their two closest competitors in the Big 5.

Also in the Big 5 on Wednesday, the Panthers defeated Del Norte at McKinleyville High School by a score of 43-28.

The victory for the Panthers all but secured the Big 5’s third and final Dick Niclai tournament spot.

Mayleah Jackson had a big game for Arcata on a night where things were not all going the Tigers’ way.

“Wasn’t the prettiest win we’ve had, but we emphasize family and we stayed together,” said Arcata head coach Charlie Espinoza, whose team improved to 14-7 overall. “Our defensive game plan was to cause havoc and we did just that. We have a lot to sharpen up, but it was good to see how much we’ve grown.”

Jackson scored 10 points and helped set the tone for her teammates with her industrious performance at both ends of the floor.

“Mayleah Jackson was great tonight,” Espinoza said. “She was the spark plug and really helped get us going.”

The always dangerous Wolford sisters also impressed for the Tigers.

Mae Wolford scored a game-high 13 points, while Tae Wolford added 12 points.

The twin sisters and Jackson each also had four steals.

Kyla Kinyon added eight points and five rebounds for Arcata, while Addison Wingate finished with five points and a team-high six boards.

With the loss, the Fortuna girls dropped to 0-5 in conference play, but they caused the Big 5 leaders problems all night and there were some bright spots.

“The team battled and never gave up,” Fortuna head coach Tom Chapman said.

Kalie Chittenden scored a team-high 11 points for the Huskies, while teammate Taylor Heussler added six points.

The high-intensity Arcata defense caused problems for the Huskies.

“We struggled against their trapping defense,” Chapman said. “However, I am proud of the team’s willingness to play hard non-stop and continue to work.”

The Arcata girls have a bye in conference play on Friday, before the pivotal showdowns against McKinleyville and Eureka.

“We are grateful for a bye so we can get set for the next week,” Espinoza said. “We have two huge games to end the (regular) season.”

At McKinleyville, meanwhile, the Panthers took control of their game against the Warriors early and gradually pulled away.

Senior standout Gabby Watson finished with a game-high 16 points in the win, as the Mack girls improved to 3-3 in conference play and 16-8 overall.

With two games remaining, they are now two wins clear of Del Norte in the conference standings and all but guaranteed third at least.

The Mack defense held the visitors to just seven first-half points and led by 11 at the interval.

They continued to control the game after the break and outscored the Warriors 14-11 in the third quarter, with a big 3-pointer by MaryAnn Som putting them up 26-13 midway through the period.

Som and teammate Tatum Fisher each had eight points in the win, while teammates Bailee Box and Grace Pimentel both chipped in three points.

Jaylee Keeling led the Del Norte girls with seven points, while Tsinte Steinruck and Makana Baugh each added five points.

The visitors struggled to find much rhythm in the first half and were just 3 of 10 from the free-throw line.

They picked up their offense in the second half, but were unable to bridge the gap against a McKinleyville team that also picked up its offense after the break.

The win ended a three-game losing streak for McKinleyville.

With the loss, the Warriors dropped to 1-5 in the Big 5 and 13-11 overall.

Avery Ritter added four points for Del Norte, while Brooklyn Carter finished with three points.

Next up, on Friday night, Fortuna plays at McKinleyville and Eureka plays at Del Norte.