Trailing by as much as 8 points in the second half, the Houston High School boys basketball team came back and beat Laquey Tuesday night in Tiger Fieldhouse, 55-54.
The contest ended in dramatic fashion, as HHS junior forward Owen Wells grabbed the ball out of a crowd near the basket after a missed shot on the Tigers’ offensive end and sank a 6-footer from the baseline to put the host team on top by a point with about 15 seconds remaining. After a timeout, Houston came up with a crucial stop on the defense end, and the final horn sounded shortly after a contested shot fell away and the Tigers secured the rebound.
The victory snapped a 10-game losing streak.
“It’s important to keep putting yourself in position to win, and then find ways to do it,” said HHS head coach Jim Moore. “That’s what builds confidence and leads to future success.”
Houston led 14-10 at the end of the first quarter, but the visiting Hornets were ahead 30-25 at halftime after the Tigers experienced foul trouble in the second period.
“We got off to a pretty good start,” Moore said, “but then our lineup had to change and the guys who were in there lost track of our game plan a little bit.”
Junior guard Jordan Arthur and senior forward Brady Brookshire each had a double-double in the game, as Brookshire scored 19 points and grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds, while Arthur also scored 19 points and had 12 rebounds. Senior forward Stone Jackson sank two 3-pointers and added 6 points.
In his absence, Wells and 6-5 sophomore Gavyn Daily each logged valuable minutes on the court, scoring 4 points and snatching 4 rebounds apiece.
“Owen got his chance and made the most of it,” Moore said. “And Gavyn did what we asked and played well off the bench.”
The Hornets (6-12) had three players score in double-figures. Sophomore guard Rhyder Martin led the way with a game-high 23 points (including 10 in the second quarter), while senior Landyn Nadermann and sophomore Matthew Marlow each had 10.
After losing the lead in the second quarter, the Tigers didn’t regain it until Wells’ big shot. Houston was in a triangle-and-two defense for much of the game, in an effort to contain Laquey’s tough guards. But down by 6 late, Moore asked his players to switch to man-to-man and get some stops. They did.
“That’s what allowed us to get back in it and take the lead,” Moore said. “I was pretty proud of them. I think maybe it showed our growth and maturity a bit, just to stay with it and find a way to win.”
The Tigers might have won with relative ease, but missed numerous shots from point-blank range. The same issue has haunted the squad on multiple occasions this season.
“We’ve got to make 2-footers,” Moore said, “and we’re talking about open shots you should make 9-out-of-10 times. But we made shots when they counted.”
The Tigers (2-10) host Salem Thursday in the first South Central Association conference game of the season, and then travel to Bourbon on Friday.
Salem comes into Thursday’s contest with a record of 9-8.
“I expect us to compete and have a chance,” Moore said.
