The Lady Tigers participated in a historic battle against the St. Berdard’s Crusaders on March 6th at College of the Redwoods. In the Norcal Regional, it seemed that the Tigers held a comfortable lead and were going to secure a ride to State, but the Crusaders came out strong in the fourth quarter and sent the Tigers back home.
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The Tigers and Crusaders both started out hot, with a clutch three by standout senior guard, Nora Talty, to tie at 13, finishing the first quarter 16-13.
“One of the greatest basketball players to ever step foot in Arcata High. I’ll live and die on that,” Head Coach Charlie Espinoza said on Talty’s performance over the season.
Talty finished the game with 13 points, including a pair of threes.
The Tigers were able to outscore the Crusaders 30-25 at half-time. While the Tigers outplayed the Crusaders in the third quarter, the lead switched hands in the fourth quarter.
With the game tied 50-50 with three minutes left, fans were on the edge of their seats and the student sections were as loud as ever.
The Tigers battled to try and take the lead but the buzzer went off and seas of green flooded the court.
With St. Bernards taking a 60-54 win, Arcata’s historic season ended, but this team brought home some big accomplishments.
They became the second Arcata team to win the Women’s Arcata Invitational Basketball Tournament (WAIBT), and the second Arcata team to make it to the Norcal Regional.
The Tigers will come back next season, with some new players, and try to accomplish the plans they fell short of this season. The outcome wasn’t what they expected, but it was a historical and memorable season.
“It’s really cool to finish out my high school year like this,” senior Kyndle Eisner said.
