On Monday of this week, the Houston High School boys basketball team beat county rival Cabool, 66-59, in a South Central Association contest in Tiger Fieldhouse.
The win came in the Tigers’ third game in four days, as it followed an 85-48 loss to Lesterville at last Saturday’s annual Bunker Shootout in Bunker and an 85-54 defeat at the hands of Liberty in a South Central Association conference home game last Friday.
BIG THIRD QUARTER PROVES CRUCIAL
The visiting Bulldogs held the Tigers to single digits in the first quarter of Monday’s game and took a 15-9 lead into the second period.
Houston cut the margin to 29-25 at halftime, but then outscored Cabool 26-8 in the third quarter to lead 51-37 going into the final 8 minutes.
The lead grew by 6 points late in the third, as junior Caden Guerra sank a 3-point shot with 20 seconds left and junior DJ Riley nailed a trey at the buzzer.
The Tigers increased the margin to 17 in the fourth quarter, but the Bulldogs kept battling and made things interesting by slicing it to 7 by the end of the contest.
Riley and senior guard Jordan Arthur totaled 17 points apiece to lead Houston in scoring in the game, while senior guard Nick Dennis tossed in 6 points during the decisive third period run and finished with 8. The Tigers’ two 6-5 centers – senior Brody Adkison and junior Gavyn Daily – each added 6 points.
Cabool was led in scoring by freshman forward Josiah Leonard with 16 points, while senior guard Carson Lindsey had 15 and junior guard Brody Norfalise added 14.
The Tigers helped their cause by going 16-for-25 at the foul line while the Bulldogs went 10-for-21.
TRIPLE THREAT
The host Tigers kept things close for a little while in the matchup with Liberty, trailing 9-7 with just over 2 minutes left in the first quarter.
But the Eagles took control from there, scoring 27 unanswered points to build a 36-7 advantage with about 5:30 to go before halftime. Liberty scored 32 points in the second period – including seven 3-pointers – and already had more than 50 points at the break, leading 51-25.
The Eagles ended up sinking 12-of-23 shots from 3-point land in the contest, while the Tigers went 6-for-18 from behind the arc.
Sophomore guard Alex Tune led Liberty’s long-range barrage, drilling six treys – including four in the second quarter – and finishing with 22 points. Senior Gavin Reese also scored 22 points for the Eagles (16-8, 4-1 SCA), while junior forward Drayton Wells had 18 and junior guard Parker Tune added 13.
Junior guard DJ Riley led the Tigers in scoring with 18 points (including 12 in the fourth quarter), while senior guard Jordan Arthur had 17. HHS senior guard Caiden Root sank two 3-pointers and scored all 8 of his points in the second period.
BEARCATS LEAD BUNKER SERIES
The Saturday game bore several similarities to the previous night’s contest, as Lesterville scored 33 points in the second quarter and led 55-22 at halftime.
The Bearcats knocked down 11 3-pointers in the contest and had four players score in double-figures. Senior Isaiah Twomey led the way with 28 points (including 22 in the first half), while sophomore Carter St. Gemme had 18, junior Tyson Boyer had 16 and senior Orion Goesmann added 10.
Arthur scored 15 points for Houston, while senior guard Nick Dennis had 13.
Lesterville’s victory over Houston last Saturday avenged a 61-44 loss at last year’s Bunker Shootout. The two teams also met at Bunker in 2022, with the Bearcats prevailing 68-42.
Prior to Monday’s game, Senior Night activities took place for the Tigers’ six seniors: Arthur, Dennis, Root, Brody Adkison, Zeke Grange and Owen Wells.
This week, the Tigers (6-18, 1-5 SCA) are scheduled to play a road game Thursday (Feb. 20) at Dora and an SCA contest Friday (Feb. 21) at Ava.
Houston hosts the Class 3 District 10 Tournament next week. The Tigers are seeded fifth in the 6-team bracket and will face No. 4 Licking in a first round game at 6 p.m. Monday (Feb. 24). The winner will take on top-seeded and fifth-ranked Thayer in a semifinal game at 6 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 26).
Third-seeded Liberty will take on No. 6 Cabool in the other first round game, with the winner facing No. 2 Willow Springs at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
The district championship game is set for 6 p.m. Friday (Feb. 28).Â
