A serious offensive drought overtook the Houston High School boys basketball team Thursday night in Tiger Fieldhouse.
In a semifinals game in the fourth annual Houston Community Foundation Varsity Boys Basketball Tournament, the Tigers were beaten by Bakersfield 62-20.
The top-seeded Lions were never threatened in the contest, as fifth-seeded Houston fell behind 9-1 at the outset, trailed 16-5 at the end of the first quarter and 29-11 at halftime. Things got even worse after the break, as the Tigers were down 50-20 at the end of the third period before being blanked 12-0 in the fourth.
Only three players scored for Houston in the game. Senior guard Jordan Arthur and junior guard DJ Riley each had 9 points and senior center Brody Adkison added 2.
Meanwhile, the Lions nailed 10 shots from 3-point territory in the lopsided victory, and showed their depth with nine different players contributing to a balanced scoring attack. Senior guard Morris Collins led the way with 14 points, while senior forward Connor Jones had 10 and senior guards CJ Carey and Bodie Hardin each drained a trio of treys and finished with 9.
Free throws were scarce in the contest, as Houston went 4-for-10 from the line and Bakersfield went 2-for-5.
The Lions (11-6) will face Salem in the tournament championship game at 5 p.m. Saturday (Jan. 25), as the Dent County Tigers (6-9) beat Couch 67-59 in the other semifinal.
Houston (3-10) will take on Couch (8-6) in the third-place game at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.