Hoops Tigers start strong

After spending about 9 minutes more or less warming up, the Houston High School boys basketball team stepped on the gas and went on to rout Koshkonong 84-53 in the season-opener Monday night in Tiger Fieldhouse.

 “I am excited to get this first win with these young men and being able to see what the boys can do in a full game,” said head coach Dan Narancich. 

The Tigers got off to a fast start and led 7-0 at the outset of the game. But the visiting Blue Jays closed the gap and trailed 15-13 at the end of the first quarter.

Koshkonong took a brief 16-15 lead early in the second period, but the Tigers’ offense then came alive and produced 29 more points before halftime. Junior point guard DJ Riley led the outburst by knocking down four 3-pointers in the quarter, while senior guard Jordan Arthur slashed and drove through the Blue Jays’ defense to sink five 2-point buckets.

Houston remained hot from deep in the second half, as senior guard Zeke Grange drained three treys and Riley sank a pair.

The Tigers utilized their height advantage and dominated the boards from beginning to end, while 6-5 post players Brody Adkison (a senior) and Gavin Daily (a junior) each blocked 2 shots.

Houston downed a whopping 12 treys in the contest, with four players sinking at least 1. The team’s depth was on display in the game, as 10 different Tigers scored.

“That just shows what we are able to do when we move the ball and shoot with confidence and knowing that we have the green light to take a good open shot,” Narancich said. “The depth just makes us so scary for other teams because anyone can come off the bench and put up big numbers any given night. Every one of the young men on this team plays a major, vital role in our successes, and it showed last night with our guys coming off the bench or starting on the court.” 

Riley finished with 6 triples and a game-high 26 points, while Arthur scored 15. Senior guard Caden Root came off the bench to nail 2 treys and score 10 points for Houston, while Adkison and Grange had 9 apiece.

Sophomore guard Ardaius Russell led Koshkonong in scoring with 19 points, while sophomore guard Austin Howell added 15.

The youthful Blue Jays came into the contest with a roster featuring only three upperclassmen (two seniors and one junior), while the Tigers have 11 upperclassmen (including eight seniors and three juniors).

Koshkonong at times struggled to keep up with Houston’s up-tempo style and full court defensive pressure.

“We still looked good after four quarters of running the ball,” Narancich said. “No one looked tired and it shows that the boys are putting the work in. We have talked about getting through the mental hard in practice and it will make the games easier. We were able to see what small adjustments needed to be made and what to continue to work on.”  

Houston plays again Tuesday night at Eminence and will host Seymour next Tuesday (Dec. 10).

“It is fun to watch the boys in an actual game,” Narancich said, “and see them having fun and doing what they enjoy doing, and putting everything we have been working on into the game.”