MOUNTAIN GROVE – The Houston Lady Tigers overcame a sluggish start to advance in districts.
Facing a quick 9-2 deficit against seventh-seeded Forsyth, HHS rallied to take a halftime lead and pulled away with a strong third quarter en route to a 63-46 victory Monday night.
Houston (17-9) plays Willow Springs in the semifinals of the Class 3 District 10 Tournament at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. The third-seeded Lady Bears edged Liberty 43-42 in the opening round.
In the 6 p.m. semifinal, top-seeded Licking faces No. 4 Mountain Grove. The Lady Wildcats hammered Hollister 63-22 on Monday. Mountain Grove advanced with a 41-37 win against Ava.
Junior Sarah Kelley scored 19 points to lead Houston to its opening-round victory. Kylee Elmore hit four 3-pointers and scored 17.
Forsyth took control early by scoring nine of the first 11 points to put the Lady Tigers in a seven-point hole. It didn’t last.
HHS pulled even at 12-all on Elmore’s basket with six seconds left in the first quarter and took its first lead when Elmore buried a triple 33 seconds into the second quarter.
The Lady Tigers, who led 27-24 at the half, began pulling away with a quick 12-2 run early in the third quarter. Elmore and Abby Casper both connected from downtown during the spurt. Kelley finished the rally with a basket that made it 40-28 at the 3:09 mark.
A 9-0 run that included an Elmore trey and consecutive baskets by Kelley extended the advantage to 16 points. Houston’s biggest lead was 19 after Casper hit another triple and Jaydin Ramsey converted an offensive stickback with 4:36 remaining in the game.
BOX SCORE
Forsyth 12 9 9 13 – 46
Houston 12 13 17 18 – 63
HOUSTON (63) – Kylee Elmore 17. Abby Casper 9. Olivia Woosley 8. Sarah Kelley 19. Jaydin Ramsey 8. Alyssa Hayes 2. FG 24. FT 9-12. F 18. (3-pointers: Elmore 4, Casper 2. Fouled out: none).
Monday’s scores
First round
Licking 63, Hollister 22
Mountain Grove 41, Ava 37
Houston 63, Forsyth 46
Willow Springs 43, Liberty 42
Wednesday’s games
Semifinals
Licking (23-4) vs. Mountain Grove (14-11), 6 p.m.
Houston (17-9) vs. Willow Springs (11-14), 7:30 p.m.
Saturday’s game
Championship, 5 p.m.