Despite an early lead, the Houston High School girls basketball team lost to Liberty in the third-place game of the Thayer Winter Classic on Saturday.
Senior guard Lacey Cavaness scored 7 points in the first quarter to give Houston a 15-11 lead. However, the lead would be short-lived, with Liberty up 36-26 at halftime. Senior Ella Phipps contributed 8 points in the second quarter.
Houston would never recover from the deficit, with Liberty’s 10-point advantage growing to 17 before the final whistle – defeating the Lady Tigers 71-54.
“We definitely could have played better,” said HHS head coach Micah Lee. “We had ups and downs and just couldn’t come out on top.”
Phipps led the scoring in the contest with 24 points. Senior Korie Lind added 12 points for Liberty. For Houston, Cavaness and senior forward Sophia Crites each had 13 points. Junior forward Gracyn McNiell added 11.
The Lady Tigers struggled from the free-throw line, shooting 13-for-23.
Houston (5-11; 1-1 SCA) plays next in a South Central Association conference game against Thayer on Feb. 3 at Tiger Fieldhouse.
