Warriors down Big 5 rival Tigers

Win 48-47 on Cole Lesley free-throw shot


REDDING — Whew! What a game.

After a back and forth contest that featured countless lead changes, the Del Norte High boys varsity basketball team topped Arcata on Friday at the last possible second.

With the score knotted up at 47 in the fourth quarter, the Tigers fouled Cody Hoffman with 3.9 seconds remaining in a non-shooting foul situation.

With the ball in the hands of Cole Lesley with time running out, Arcata fouled him as he attempted a three-pointer at the buzzer to give Lesley three chances to give the Warriors the win.

On the free throw line, Lesley missed the first shot but nailed the second one to give the Warriors the 48-47 victory over fellow Big 5 Conference member Arcata at the Hornet Classic at Enterprise High School in Redding.

“I was thinking he better not wait for the third shot,”  Warrior head coach Scott Alexander said. “If it had gone to the third shot, I just don’t know. It was a crazy moment.”

After losing by nine points to Shasta High the night before, the Warriors (5-3) got the needed win over Arcata (10-5).

“Awesome,” Alexander said to describe the win. “It was a good feeling. It was a much  needed win after losing two straight games we felt we should have won.”

The contest against the Tigers, who  are considered one of the top teams in the Big 5, was one where both squads exchanged the lead throughout until the final buzzer sounded.

After the Warriors took an 11-6 lead in the middle of the first, the Tigers came back and led 12-11 the end of the quarter. Del Norte was able to maintain its lead in the second quarter and led 21-17 at the half.

In the third, the Warriors and Tigers kept things close as the quarter ended with a 36-35 lead for Del Norte.

But Arcata quickly came back and took a 45-41 advantage in the fourth. Del Norte was able to come back and earned the last second victory.

Lesley lead Del Norte scorers with 17. Hoffman scored 13 and Nick McBride had nine points. Taylor Duncan had four points, Scottie Skeen finished with three points and Chris Scott and Chris Davidson each had one point.

Alexander said that although it does not count towards the squad’s league mark, he said the game shows his team firsthand what a challenge the Big  5 season will be this year.

“I think our league games are going to be like this,” he said. “All of them. It’s going to be a battle.”

Today, Del Norte ends the tournament with the consolation championship against Kennedy High of Fremont at 3:30 p.m. On Monday, the Warriors play Hoopa at home at 7:30 p.m. Del Norte opens the Big 5 season against Eureka at home on Jan. 13.