Fasten your seat belts. If opening night in Big 5 boys basketball is any indication, it’s going to be an exciting few weeks for local fans.

On Tuesday night, the Del Norte Warriors welcomed four-time defending conference champs Arcata to Crescent City and pulled out a thrilling 62-61 victory on a 3-point buzzer-beater by junior Justin Cushmann.

The home team led for much of the night, but the Tigers took their first lead of the game in the final minute and appeared ready to sneak the victory with a two-point advantage in the dying seconds.

Cushmann and his teammates, however, had other ideas, and this is a Warriors team that refuses to give up the fight and is making a habit of finding ways to win their games.

Particularly Cushmann, who nailed a buzzer-beater earlier in the season to force overtime in a victory over Eureka in the championship game of the Yreka tournament.

This time around he hit nothing but net in what had to be one of the most exciting finishes at Del Norte High in some time, and the fans stormed the court to celebrate with the players.

“I’m still in shock,” Del Norte head coach Cris Rice said afterwards. “The ending was something else. It was pretty cool, pretty special.”

Especially for Cushmann, who had struggled coming into conference play, but rediscovered his touch in style for the Big 5 opener.

The junior finished the game with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting and five assists and made all four of his 3-point attempts.

But he was far from the only standout on a Del Norte team many people feel can challenge for this year’s championship.

And judging by Tuesday’s ending, few will doubt their championship credentials.

File photo – Ty Blue scored a team-high 19 points for the Warriors on Tuesday night.

Sophomore Ty Blue had a career night as he continues to establish himself as one of the more impressive players in conference and finished with a double-double.

Blue scored a team-high 19 points and pulled down a team-best 13 rebounds.

The home team led by eight at the interval, but the Tigers came storming back in the second half, led by the always-dangerous Luke Lemke.

The standout senior scored a game-high 28 points, including 20 over the final two quarters.

Fellow senior Elias Gomez also impressed for Arcata and added 16 points, including 12 in the second half.

“We struggled in the second half and it almost got away from us,” Rice said. “Our transition defense wasn’t very good and we turned the ball over.”

When it mattered the most, however, the Warriors found a way to pull out the victory.

“That was one for the ages,” Rice said. “We’re super proud of our team.”

Damian Escalera also impressed for the home team and finished with 13 points, eight assists and five rebounds, while Rek Alameda added seven points and gave his teammates a spark off the bench.

Markus Parras chipped in five points to round out a balanced team performance by the home team.

“It’s going to be a fun league,” Rice added. “I think you’re going to have great games every night, and that’s the exciting thing.”