Down by only 4 at halftime, the Houston High School boys basketball team scored only 6 points in the third quarter on the way to a 65-56 defeat last Friday at Plato.
The Tigers took the lead at the outset of the contest and were up 9-5 after senior guard Jordan Arthur scored 9 points on a 3-pointer and a pair of 3-point plays on driving layups and free throws.
But the host Eagles went on top 13-12 on a turnaround jumper from the lane by senior forward Andrew Woodruff with 1:30 left in the first quarter, and they never trailed again. After the early deficit, Plato went on a 15-5 run and held a 20-14 advantage going into the second period.
With both teams’ offenses clicking in the back-and-forth second quarter, the Tigers added another 25 points before halftime while the Eagles put up another 23.
Woodruff scored on a short-range basket with 3 seconds to go before the break to put Plato ahead at 43-36, but junior guard DJ Riley sank a shot from near half-court at the buzzer to pull Houston within 4.
The Eagles then took an 8-point lead early in the third quarter and held the Tigers at arm’s length the rest of the way.
Arthur led the Tigers in scoring in the contest with 20 points, while Riley scored 10 points in the second period and finished with 13. Senior guards Zeke Grange and Caden Root each hit a pair of treys and added 6 points apiece for Houston.
After scoring 23 points in the first half, Woodruff was held to only 1 field goal and 9 points in the second half and finished with a game-high 32. Senior forward Tanner Atterberry scored 14 points for the Eagles, while freshman Levi Crewse had 8 and freshman Porter McCabe added 7.
“It was a good game,” said HHS head coach Dan Narancich. “I’m excited watching the boys continue to grow. The competitive level was good, but just not where I would like us to be yet. The boys show what they are capable of doing when you see those sparks, but trying to get them to hold on to that for four quarters is what we are working toward.
“They want to win so much – I think they believe that we must have a perfect game to do so.”
During the low-scoring second half, the Tigers appeared to be ready to make a run on multiple occasions, only to be hampered by turnovers or missed shots.
“When we miss a shot or have a bad pass, we slow back down and do not stay aggressive in the game,” Narancich said. “However, it’s nice to see almost every player getting points on the board with scoring; their confidence in taking the open, good-looking shot is growing.”
The Tigers had their best showing of the season at the free throw line, going 13-for-17. Meanwhile, the Eagles sank 14-of-22 attempts at the line, with Woodruff going 10-for-18.
Houston went with a short lineup for much of the fourth quarter.
“We ended with a five-guard lineup for the speed on the defensive end,” Narancich said. “We are never out of the game with us being able to shoot the 3-ball and getting to the line. I should have started it sooner, but if we had a little more time, I think we could have gotten the win.”
This week, the Tigers are in the field at the annual Cabool Holiday Tournament. Houston is seeded 14th in the 16-team bracket and will face No. 3 Pocahontas, Arkansas, in a first round matchup at 6 p.m. Thursday (Dec. 26).
The tournament championship game is set for 6:30 p.m. Monday (Dec. 30).
The Tigers (1-4) host county rival Licking on Friday, Jan. 3.
“I told the boys the beginning of the season is to get us prepared for the end of the season when it’s win or go home,” Narancich said. “We are getting better every game and every practice.”
