MOUNTAIN GROVE –– Houston upset one county opponent on its underdog run through the inaugural Mountain Grove Holiday Tournament. But another was out of reach.
One round after downing second-seeded and state-ranked Plato, the No. 7 Lady Tigers couldn’t duplicate the same success against Licking. Stymied by the third-seeded Lady Wildcats’ zone defenses, Houston was held scoreless in the second quarter and easily defeated 41-25 in Monday night’s semifinals.
The matchup came exactly one week after the Texas County foes’ regular-season game. Licking also comfortably won that contest.
Including last year’s district championship games, the Lady Wildcats have won the last three games with HHS by 29, 19 and 16 points.
“Licking is our nemesis right now,” Lady Tigers coach Brent Kell said. “We don’t play well against them. We’ve got to figure that out.
“I think it’s a little mental, and the fact that they are a good ballclub.”
Licking advanced to Tuesday’s championship game against top-seeded Gainesville. The Lady Tigers (6-3) play Dora for third place.
Licking took control from the get-go to deny another upset bid by Houston. The Lady Wildcats scored eight of the game’s first 11 points and led 15-7 after the opening quarter.
The advantage swelled from there as Licking used 2-3 and 1-3-1 zones to hold Houston scoreless in the second quarter. The Lady Wildcats had a commanding 23-7 advantage at the half after Bailie Osborne scored to beat the buzzer.
“We had no energy, but I’ll give them credit,” Kell said. “They’ve got a good defense. They move in the passing lanes, are long and make it difficult for you to get shots.”
Sarah Kelley had a team-best nine points to lead the Lady Tigers.
Osborne led Licking with a game-high 18 points. Megan Smith added 11.
BOX SCORE
Houston 7 0 6 12 – 25
Licking 15 8 8 10 – 41
HOUSTON (25) – Kylee Elmore 4. Abby Casper 5. Makayla Koch 2. Sarah Kelley 9. Jaydin Ramsey 5. FG 8. FT 8-15. F 5. (3-pointers: Casper. Fouled out: none).
LICKING (41) – Ashley Ingram 1. Hali Littrell 4. Jordon Pursifull 5. Megan Smith 11. Bailie Osborne 18. Abby Duncan 2. FG 18. FT 4-6. F 15. (3-pointers: Smith. Fouled out: none).