When Jacob Kelley converted an interior basket with 4 minutes, 29 seconds left in the first half, the Houston Tigers had nearly erased an early double-digit deficit to Thayer.
But it didn’t take long for the Bobcats to regain their comfortable lead.
Thayer scored 17 points in the final four minutes before halftime to go ahead by 16 points and cruised to a 67-37 victory Tuesday night inside Hiett Gymnasium.
So goes the ebbs and flows of a young team. Houston (2-15) started poorly and fell behind by 10, rallied to pull within three and then gave up a 17-4 spurt before the half.
“We had several silly turnovers and careless passes that basically laid it in Thayer’s lap,” Tigers coach Dustin Kirkman said. “I don’t know if we ran out of gas or were playing tight. It was mental breakdowns and a lack of effort to finish the half.”
Kirkman didn’t call a timeout as the Bobcat stretched a 21-18 advantage to a 38-22 lead in a matter of minutes. He said he did so with a purpose for his young team.
“I try to let these kids learn to play through it,” Kirkman said. “I don’t want to bail them out with a timeout. It’s teaching them how to play through some adversity.”
Junior Rodney Preheim had a team-high nine points for the Tigers, who have lost nine consecutive games. Houston’s last victory was a 66-60 win Dec. 28 against Couch at the Cabool Holiday Tournament.
Austin Henry led four Bobcats in double figures with 19 points. Ricky Smith added 15.
Thayer hit four early 3-pointers against the Tigers’ 1-3-1 zone and led 16-6 on Henry’s triple from the top of the key. The advantage stretched to 12 on Dylan Dennis’ layin.
Preheim and Kelley had consecutive baskets to open the second quarter as Houston pulled within three. Preheim scored eight of the Tigers’ first 16 points — many coming from the high post.
“We’ve been trying to get the ball into the high post, and turning and looking at the goal to see the low post and backside wings,” Kirkman said. “We did that and were very successful.”
Unfortunately for the Tigers, the success didn’t last.
Smith buried a triple on Thayer’s next possession as part of seven quick unanswered points. Following Kelley’s interior basket, Thayer ended the half with a 10-2 run to lead by 16.
Kirkman hopes playing through the rough stretch will make his young players better over time.
“In an ideal situation, you’ve got upperclassmen that when the younger, talented kids get a little rattled, you can get them out and you have an experienced player who can handle it,” Kirkman said. “We’re not blessed with that right now.”
Kirkman said his team was hurt by last week’s winter storm that canceled four days of classes. The Tigers had just one full practice since last Monday.
Despite the blowout loss, Kirkman said he continues to see small signs — like identifying passes the coaching staff sees — in each game.
“We’re making progress, but it’s slow,” Kirkman said. “We’ve got to take our bumps and bruises, and we’re going to.
“We’re taking steps toward where we want to be.”
JUNIOR VARSITY: Gabe Pruett scored four points in the JV Tigers’ 41-9 loss Tuesday to Thayer.
Box scores
VARSITY
Thayer 21 17 15 14 — 67
Houston 14 8 7 8 — 37
THAYER (67) — Lucas Risher 13. Dylan Dennis 12. Ricky Smith 15. Austin Henry 19. Jeremy Cabrales 3. Levi Hargrove 5. FG 25. FT 11-16. F 11. (3-pointers: Henry 3, Smith 2, Risher)
HOUSTON (37) — Aaron Cantrell 7. Devin Coulter 4. Weston Walker 6. Rodney Preheim 9. Jacob Kelley 4. Dalton Pokorny 6. FG 16. FT 3-9. F 15. (3-pointers: Cantrell, Walker)
JUNIOR VARSITY
Thayer 14 17 6 4 — 41
Houston 0 1 6 2 — 9
HOUSTON (9) — C.J. Terriott 2. Gabe Pruitt 4. Nathaniel Alkire 2. Jacob Kelley 1. FG 4. FT 1-5. F 8.