Warrior girls earn OT victory

The Del Norte High girls varsity basketball team held on for a 40-36 overtime victory over Mount Shasta in the season opener Thursday afternoon.

“We played together as a team,” head coach Buzz McCulloch said. “I think that’s critical for us.”

Although the Warriors, who are competing in a three-day tournament in Yreka, played well in spots, they still had a bit of rust to deal with, especially with regard to missing easy shots, McCulloch said.

Two juniors had big games for Del Norte, with Brittany Maready and Emma Card each scoring 15 points, accounting for all but 10 of the Warriors’ points.

In the first quarter, Del Norte was able to take an 8-5 lead and led 17-13 at the half.

While the defense was solid, McCulloch said his players missed too many easy shots near the basket.

“We were running our plays really well, but a lot of our

shots came up short,” McCulloch said. “We let them stay in the game.”

In the second half, Del Norte was able to maintain the lead until the end of the fourth quarter, when Mount Shasta took a 35-33 advantage with around a minute left. A basket by Card tied the game and sent it into overtime.

In the extra period, the defense clamped down for the Warriors as they allowed only a single point. Maready made a three-pointer and Card made two free throws to help the Warriors earn the victory.

Shauna Ratnour had five points for Del Norte and Taylor Cleland finished with three points. Sydney Benson and Pahnia Yang each had one point apiece.

Friday night, Del Norte faced   the host team, Yreka. Because the game did not begin until after 8:30 p.m., the result was unvailable by deadline. The scores from the Friday and Saturday games will be in the Tuesday edition of the Triplicate.

Next week, Del Norte will play in a two-day tournament in Brookings starting Friday.