Warriors earn win in conference play

The Del Norte Warriors boys varsity basketball team used an explosive fourth quarter to its advantage Tuesday night.

Del Norte scored 30 points in the fourth, including converting 16 points from the charity stripe, to earn a 63-52 Big 5 Conference road win against rival Eureka.

After struggling in the first half, including trailing 11-2 early, the Warriors played a more consistant brand of basketball in the second half.

Remain winless in Big Five play

The Del Norte Warriors girls varsity basketball teams struggled in a 60-32 loss to Big 5 Conference rival Eureka at home Wednesday night.

Del Norte appeared out of sync from the start of the contest and  never were really in the game.

“We were out-hustled,” Del Norte head coach Buzz McCulloch said. “They didn’t come out fired up for the game.”

Junior Emma Card led Del Norte scorers with 14 points. Junior Brittany Maready had 10 points for Del Norte. Maready, the leading scorer for the Warriors’ last year, returned last week against McKinleyville but did not score. She had been out since the second game of the season due to a knee injury.

The Smith River now has a partner to share local fishing pressure. The Chetco and Smith rivers will be the wisest choices for steelhead through this weekend, local guides said.

The Chetco dropped to a fishable flow Sunday, providing “fair” fishing for guide Gary Hix’s groups, which caught three to five steelhead trout a day Sunday through Tuesday.

“The water is still kind of high,” Hix said Tuesday, adding that the Chetco seemed dirtier than normal, maybe from a slide upriver.

The Del Norte High had three wrestlers place at the Maria Carrillo Tournament in Santa Rosa on Saturday.

Senior Noah Timoshenko, who just made the starting lineup at 122 pounds, took eighth overall in his weight class.

Senior Morgen Fischer at 128 and senior heavyweight Isaac Terry both suffered knee injuries at the event. They both finished in sixth place despite the injuries, assistant coach Clinton Schaad said.

Sign-ups for the Del Norte County Recreation Department Teen League and Men’s Basketball League are now being accepted.

The Teen League registration ends Feb. 24, with games starting on March 7.

There are two divisions, 14–16 and 16–18. There is a $200 sponsorship fee for each team, as well as a fee of $25 per player. A registration meeting will be held Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. at the Recreation Department Gym, 1000 H St.

The Del Norte High Warriors   home dual meet wrestling match  against Arcata from Jan. 10 is being shown on local television this week.

The meet will be featured on Warrior Sports with Donnie Mattz and Charlie McKoewn.

The program will be shown each night on Charter Cable Channel 4 at 7:30 p.m.

New episodes are shown each Wednesday night.

Sign-ups for Del Norte Little League continue on Saturday.

The event will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Mary Peacock Elementary School Library, 1720 Arlington Drive, Crescent City.

Ages 4–16 for girls and 4–12 for boys are invited to sign up.

Jalen Coney, a 2011 Del Norte High graduate and freshman at College of the Redwoods, has advanced to a starting spot on the CR basketball team. Courtesy Jackie Christensen/CR Athletics

Coney, a 6-foot-4-inch post player, is averaging about 12 points per game for the Corsairs, who are 5-15 for the year,

“I’m doing good,” Coney said in a phone interview with the Triplicate. “It’s been a lot of fun.”

Coney said constantly improving and refining his game has helped him land a starting spot.

Recently, I was talking to a friend about the joys of being a high school athletic director.

Up until the late-1970s, to be a coach of a high school team in California you had to have a California teaching credential. This sometimes caused problems when there were not enough teachers on the staff that were qualified or willing to coach. During the early part of my 25 years as an athletic director there were times when a season was about to start and no coach was available.

Lose 48-37 in Big 5 contest

Senior Kiel Bellatti of Del Norte High looks to pass while guarded by a McKinleyville defender on the road Thursday night in Big 5 Conference action. Photo courtesy of Liz McCumsey

The first time these two squads met in Big 5 Conference action this season the Warriors lost 59-40 at home on Jan. 6.

The Panthers were without leading scorer Parker Farris, who averages around 20 points per game. While he suited up he did not play due to injury. Del Norte used this to its advantage at times against a team  in contention for a Big 5 title this year.