The 2023-2024 season came to end for the Houston High School girls basketball team this week, as the Lady Tigers fell 60-40 to host Seymour on Monday in the first round of the Class 3 District 10 Tournament.
Houston had only 6 active players in the contest, as junior Makinley Aaron was out with a knee injury sustained in a home game last week against Willow Springs.
With the host Lady Tigers (seeded fifth in the 7-team bracket) employing active full-court defensive pressure, the visiting Lady Tigers (seeded seventh) got off to a slow start and trailed 10-0 after Seymour sophomore guard Paisha Sturdefant sank a short shot with 4:48 left in the first quarter.
But Houston regrouped, and after sophomore guard Kynlee Weaver hit an 8-foot bank shot from the key with 18 seconds to go, the period ended with the same margin at 16-6. The visiting Lady Tigers then closed the gap to 16-9 on a 3-pointer by junior guard Lacey Cavaness at the outset of the second quarter, and the two teams exchanged blows for the rest of the first half until Sturdefant nailed a trey with 16 seconds left to give Seymour a 31-19 advantage at the break.
The determined Houston squad kept battling in the second half, and was still within striking distance – down 44-31 – when Weaver sank a running shot in the lane early in the fourth period.
But with the visiting Lady Tigers running out of gas (four never left the game), the host Lady Tigers took advantage and built a 60-34 lead with about 2 minutes remaining.
Houston shot a whopping 33 free throws in the game and sank 19. Cavaness and sophomore forward Gracyn McNiell each scored 11 points for the Lady Tigers, with McNiell recording a double-double by grabbing 11 rebounds. Weaver finished with 8 points, while freshman guard Summer Seago had 6 points and 9 rebounds and sophomore center Ashley Gilbert added 4 points and also had 9 boards.
Seymour’s 6-2 junior Addison Ridenour was a force on both ends of the floor throughout the contest, and led all scorers with 19 points, while pulling down 16 rebounds and blocking 6 shots. The host Lady Tigers had three other players score in double-figures, including Sturdefant with 14 points.
“We really struggled to get going at the beginning of the game,” said HHS head coach Micah Lee. “We finally started settling in, but we continued to make some small mistakes that didn’t allow us to ever gain the upper hand. We did a great job of attacking the basket and getting them in foul trouble, but we struggled to capitalize on our free throw opportunities.”
One of the things that constantly characterized this year’s under-manned Houston squad was constant all-out effort and a continuous lack of quit. The district game was a classic example.
“Nobody came close to giving up,” Lee said. “They continued to hang on. I’m very proud of them, every game, for that.”
HOUSTON GETS SCA WIN OVER AVA
The Lady Tigers hosted two South Central Association conference home games last week, and defeated Ava 40-34 on Tuesday before losing to Willow Springs 72-49 on Thursday.
In the win over Ava, Houston jumped out to a 15-8 lead at the end of the first quarter and never trailed.
With the game still on the line in the fourth quarter, the Lady Tigers sank only 1 field goal, but did what they needed to do at the foul line, sinking 7 free throws in 16 attempts. The visiting Lady Bears outscored their hosts 11-9 in the final period, but it wasn’t nearly enough.
McNiell led Houston in scoring in the contest with 15 points, while Cavaness and Aaron each had 9 and Weaver added 4 (all in the fourth quarter).
Ava was led in scoring by freshman guard Jessie Schrable, who scored 7 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 13.
In the matchup with Willow Springs, the visiting Lady Bears ran out to an 8-0 lead at the outset of the contest. The Lady Tigers responded by cutting the margin to 12-9 with 5:20 left in the first quarter after Weaver, Aaron and Cavaness each sank 3-pointers.
But Willow Springs answered by outscoring their hosts 15-3 in the rest of the period and held a 27-12 advantage going into the second quarter.
Cavaness nailed three triples in the contest and led Houston in scoring with 20 points, while McNiell had 10 points and freshman center Hally Scheets added 8.
Willow Springs sophomore guard Chloe Jones was almost unstoppable on the offensive end throughout the contest, drilling seven 3-pointers and finishing with a game-high 34 points.
The Lady Tigers went only 1-for-13 from the foul line in the game, while the Lady Bears went 7-for-11.
Aaron sustained a knee injury and was sidelined in the second half.
The Lady Tigers finished the season with an overall record of 4-22 and went 1-6 in SCA competition. The team was hindered by a lack of depth throughout the campaign, playing most games with a roster of 7 players, and several with 6.
Those numbers also represented the total number of players in the entire HHS girls basketball program.
“I have seen enormous improvements from November to now,” Lee said. “We struggled to even compete with teams at the beginning of the season, but by the end, other teams were having to prepare to play us. A lot of this improvement just came from the girls gaining an understanding of what their role is on the court. Understanding that their game is not one dimensional, and that they need to, and can, contribute in multiple ways.
“I feel like we have finally figured out how to play the game; now we need to fine tune that play.”
In her first season as HHS girls basketball head coach, Lee dealt with several virtually unprecedented circumstances, mainly involving a lack of participation resulting in a very sparse roster. She had nothing but praise for the handful who stuck it out during constant adversity.
“I think these girls have defined our new culture of being ‘all in’ as a Houston Lady Tiger basketball player,” Lee said. “They have, quite literally, fought with blood, sweat and tears to lay the foundation of what is to come. They have experienced emotions and setbacks that many young athletes don’t get to experience. I can’t even begin to explain how proud I am.
“These girls are special.”
