During a busy stretch featuring three games last week, the Houston High School boys basketball team won once and lost twice.
The flurry began with a 64-15 loss Tuesday at Norwood. The Tigers then posted an 87-54 victory Thursday at Koshkonong before being defeated by Willow Springs, 82-42, in their first South Central Association conference matchup of the season Friday in Tiger Fieldhouse.
BEARS RACK UP POINTS IN A HURRY
Houston got on the board first in the contest against Willow Springs when senior guard Caden Guerra finished a fast break with a layup.
But moments later, HHS head coach Dan Narancich was calling a timeout after the visiting Bears went on a 13-0 run to take control of the game.
Willow went on to lead 24-8 at the end of the first quarter and held a commanding 51-18 advantage at halftime.
Senior Kolby James did most of the damage for the Bears, scoring 24 points before the break and finishing with a game-high 31. The 5-9 guard was a one-man wrecking crew using a lethal combination of fast-break speed, slashing inside moves and outside accuracy to pick apart the Tigers’ zone defense and score virtually at will.
Meanwhile, Houston ball handlers had continual difficulty dealing with the Bears’ active half-court defense and off-and-on full court pressure. As a result, the Tigers committed 25 turnovers in the game and Willow poured in 33 points off turnovers and 35 in transition.
Senior guard DJ Riley led Houston in scoring in the contest with 16 points, while freshman forward Karson McCain sank two 3-pointers in the third quarter and had 15.
Junior Brady James also scored in double figures for the Bears, tossing in 8 points in the second period and finishing with 14.
KOSHKONONG: A BIG THIRD QUARTER
Houston led 24-10 at the end of the first quarter at Koshkonong, but the host Blue Jays closed the gap to 35-29 by halftime.
The Tigers then outscored Kosh 30-12 in the third quarter and 22-13 in the fourth to secure the win.
Riley led the charge, scoring 14 points in the third period on the way to finishing with 30. McCain also had a fine offensive outing, sinking three 3-pointers and going 8-for-9 from the free throw line on the way to finishing with a career-high 30 points.
Three juniors led the Blue Jays in scoring, as Austin Howell had 18 points, Ardarius Russell had 11 and Devin Stankovich added 10.
“We were on a good lead coming out of the first quarter,” Narnacich said, “then we stopped playing our type of basketball and started playing Kosh’s tempo of basketball which allowed them to hit a big 3 going into half which put them within 6. At half I talked about how we are playing their game and not our style of basketball. The boys are learning it’s OK to keep pushing and to win; we don’t want to slow down and allow other teams to catch up.
“We need to do the little things that win us ball games and that’s what we did. We got after the ball, hit the guy that was open and attacked the rim.”
NORWOOD: ‘A REALLY BAD NIGHT’
At Norwood, the host Pirates ran out to a 9-0 advantage at the outset of the contest and never looked back, leading 39-13 at halftime and 53-13 at the end of the third quarter.
Houston was remarkably cold from the field throughout the game, shooting just 9.5% (4-for-42, including 1-for-14 from 3-poiont range). The Tigers were shut out in the third period and were almost blanked in the fourth, but got a late 2-point bucket from Aaron.
“Just a really bad night,” Narancich said. “We could not buy a basket.”
Three of Houston’s field goals came in the second quarter, as Riley scored all of his team-high 7 points on a 3-pointer and a pair of 2-pointers.
Norwood (No. 6 in the latest Class 2 state rankings) was led in scoring by senior forward Carder Kelly, who nailed three treys and poured in 16 points in the second quarter on the way to finishing with a game-high 21.
When the same two teams met Dec. 26 at the Cabool Holiday Tournament, Norwood won 59-48, with Houston trailing big at halftime before mounting a spirited comeback in the second half.
This week, the Tigers (6-8, 0-1 SCA through last week) are hosting the fifth annual Houston Community Foundation Varsity Boys Basketball Tournament.
The 6-team event is spilt into two pools. Pool play begins Monday, continues Tuesday and concludes Thursday, and the finals are set for this Saturday (weather permitting), with the championship game scheduled to tip off at 3 p.m.
Through last week’s action, Riley’ quest for 1,000 points in his high school career stood at 955.