File photo – The Fortuna Huskies

The Fortuna Huskies ended a three-game Big 5 losing streak with a timely win on Thursday to keep their Dick Niclai tournament hopes alive.

In a game they had to have, the Huskies started fast and never looked back, rolling to a 54-30 win over McKinleyville at Fortuna.

The victory secured the conference sweep over the Panthers and moved the Huskies into fourth in the standings, just one win behind third-placed Del Norte, which lost at Eureka on Thursday.

The Fortuna girls are now 2-4 in conference play with two games remaining, including a home matchup against Eureka (3-3) on Tuesday and a huge matchup at Del Norte (3-4) next Thursday in a game that could very well decide the Big 5’s third and final Niclai spot.

The Huskies knew what was on the line against McKinleyville, and so too did their fans.

“We came out in front of our home crowd with great energy and intensity,” Fortuna head coach Tom Chapman said. “The team knew it was a must-win game and they played like it.”

The loss for a young Panthers team all but ends their hopes of making the Dick Niclai tournament after they fell to 2-5 in the Big 5.

“We couldn’t match the energy and effort of Fortuna,” McKinleyville head coach Alisha Hunter said. “They wanted it from the jump and we couldn’t adjust. We didn’t shoot the ball well and couldn’t seem to keep Fortuna off the glass.”

Fortuna freshman Kaleya Parkinson continued her impressive debut campaign at the high school level with another big game and finished with a double-double.

The young standout scored 10 points and had 12 rebounds.

Senior Macee Marquez also continued to impress for the home team and finished with 11 points, while teammate Tatiana Olson added eight points and Taylor Heussler chipped in seven points.

It was a good team performance for the Huskies, who improved to 16-7 overall.

“I am happy with the team’s selfless play,” Chapman said “They moved the ball well and made the extra pass finding open teammates.

“Defensively the team worked hard to disrupt McKinleyville’s flow, and we rebounded well, limiting their second-chance points.”

File photo – The McKinleyville Panthers

A pair of freshmen had good nights for the Panthers, who feature the youngest lineup in the Big 5 this winter.

Avery Bartoo finished with 12 rebounds and seven points and “fought hard on the glass,” according to the coach, while Cabella Carper had eight points.

Sophomore Lily Battilocchi and junior Lily Loomis each also had a good night for the visitors.

The consistently dangerous Battilocchi finished with 11 rebounds and eight points, while Loomis continued to inspire her teammates with her play.

“Lily Loomis may not show up in the stats with big numbers all the time, but she did bring energy and effort with some monster blocks,” Hunter said. 

Fellow junior Hazel Marshall also impressed her coach off the bench and “brought her ‘A’ game” when she got on the court, according to the coach.

The Panthers are now 12-11 overall.

Next up, in non-conference action on Saturday, the McKinleyville girls will host Ferndale at 2 p.m., while the Huskies will travel to play Little 4 champion St. Bernard’s at 4 p.m.