Playing with as much or more energy and intensity as at any time during the season, the Houston High School boys basketball team saw its 2024-2025 campaign come to a conclusion in a 64-54 loss to Licking in the first round of the Class 3 District 10 Tournament Monday in Tiger Fieldhouse.
Seeded fifth in the event’s 6-team bracket, the Tigers trailed the No. 4 Wildcats 14-3 after senior center Jordan Ritz sank a shot from the low blocks with 1:45 left in the first quarter.
But Houston turned the tables and took an 18-16 lead when senior center Brody Adkison capped off a 15-2 run with an offensive rebound and put-back basket at the 5:23 mark of the second period.
With play taking place at a fast pace and things getting a bit wild at times, both teams exerted lots of defensive energy all over the floor over the next several minutes.
Licking reestablished a 27-20 lead with about 3 minutes to go before the break, but the Tigers closed the gap to 31-27 at halftime.
The Wildcats then built a double-digits advantage again in the third quarter, leading 45-32 after senior guard Roston Stockard nailed a 3-point shot with 2:14 left in the period, but Houston reduced the deficit to single digits again and trailed 47-39 going into the fourth quarter.
Licking then secured the victory thanks to a huge offensive boost from junior Benton Corley, as the 6-foot forward poured in 10 points in the final period on four driving buckets and a pair of free throws.
Stockard led all scorers in the contest with 28 points, sinking three treys and going 9-for-11 from the foul line. Ritz sank seven shots from short range and finished with 14 points, while Corley added 10.
Junior point guard DJ Riley drained three 3-pointers and led Houston in scoring with 15 points, while Adkison had 11 and senior guard Nick Dennis and junior guard Caden Guerra added 8 apiece.
BEARS HANDLE TIGERS
Last Friday, the Tigers played their final regular season game and lost 71-41 in a South Central Association matchup at Ava.
Senior Bridger Wiedmeier sank eight 3-pointers for the host Bears and scored a game-high 31 points. Ava (9-14, 2-5 SCA) had two other players score in double figures, as senior Isaac Dalton had 18 points and sophomore Brock Swatosh added 10.
Dennis drained three treys and led Houston in scoring with 11 points, while Riley and senior guard Jordan Arthur each had 7.
Monday’s game marked the fourth time in the last seven outings that Houston had scored 54 points (all four were losses). The Tigers finished the season with an overall record of 6-20 and went 1-6 in the SCA.
“I was happy with the season as a whole,” said first year head coach Dan Narancich. “The boys worked hard all season to make a change in the program and within themselves to play a new style of basketball. They grew so much in a short amount of time, as players and individually.
“In last night’s game, the boys put everything they had on the line and just came up short. I was happy with the energy level that they come with. We made small mistakes and Licking was able to capitalize on those.”
A couple of the highlights of the Tigers’ season were winning a game for the first time in years at the Cabool Holiday Tournament and then winning twice and finishing third at the Houston Community Foundation Tournament.
“I got so many compliments about the boys over the season from our fans to competitors’ fans on how hard they play and the respect they had for each other,” Narancich said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better group of young men to start my first year with and to lay the foundation of the program.”
Third-seeded Liberty beat No. 6 Cabool 49-24 in the other first round contest. In the semifinals on Thursday (Feb. 27), Licking (18-7) will face top-seeded Thayer (20-4), while Liberty (17-10) will take on No. 2 Willow Springs (16-9).
The district championship game is set for 6 p.m. Friday (Feb. 28).
