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

By Ray Hamill — The McKinleyville boys bowed out of the North Coast Section basketball playoffs on Wednesday night, falling 61-58 to Marin Catholic in a hard-fought game at McKinleyville High.

Somehow the Panthers ended up in the Division-2 bracket and they came close to pulling out the victory.

Ultimately, however, an 11-2 run in the final 90 seconds of the third quarter would propel the Wildcats to victory, ending the Panthers’ season just five days after their thrilling Dick Niclai tournament win.

“Hardest part of being a coach is that last game of the season,” McKinleyville head coach Chris Davis said. “We want so much for our team and especially our seniors.”

Nick Maher had a big night in the paint and finished with a team-high 17 points for the Panthers, including some big baskets in the second half to help keep the visitors at bay.

The Panthers carried a 32-24 lead into halftime and stretched their advantage to 11 early in the third quarter.

But the Wildcats refused to go down easily and would battle their way back into contention.

They still trailed by eight (46-38) late in the third quarter, but an 11-2 run to close out the period, which included three momentum-grabbing 3-pointers, put them up by one going into the fourth quarter.

The rest of the game was back-and-fourth with never more than three points separating the two teams until a pair of free throws with nine seconds remaining put the Wildcats up by five.

The loss means the end of the road for this year’s McKinleyville team and the four seniors, each of whom made some big contributions to the program.

“We’re so proud and honored to have been their coaches this season and to have watched them not only grow exponentially as players but great young men,” Davis said of the seniors, a group that includes Maher, Cole Armstrong, Landon Bailey and Jackson Kelly.

“To have the success they had this season in a 21-win season with a challenging schedule, taking our home tournament championship, and to top it all off with a Niclai championship, I just couldn’t be happier for all of them.”

Armstrong and Maher, along with junior standout Bode Douglass, were also a part of the team’’s thrilling 2023 Dick Niclai tournament championship.

“Nick, Cole and Bode have been together on varsity for three years now and have not only had tremendous success but have put McKinleyville basketball back on the map,” Davis added. 

“The excitement and high expectations they have helped build for Mack basketball is just the beginning for our program and they should be very proud of their time as a Panther.”

Douglass, Armstrong and Neil Moon all had 11 points in the loss.

The Panthers closed out the season 21-9.