In a game that featured a large number of unusual circumstances and unlikely twists, the Houston High School boys basketball team beat Laquey 57-53 Wednesday in Tiger Fieldhouse.
And the craziness lasted until the very end.
With 2.4 seconds left in the contest and the host Tigers leading 55-53, Laquey had an inbounds play near the halfcourt line. With 6-5 Gavyn Daily in front of him, Hornets senior guard Kayden Hendrix couldn’t find an open man and tried to bounce the ball off Daily’s leg to get another chance.
But instead, the ball hit the floor and Daily gathered it up and took it the other way for a layup as the final horn sounded.
Prior to that wild moment, the matchup was highlighted by several momentum changes and numerous admirable individual performances.
Laquey got the early advantage and led 11-8 at the end of the first quarter. The Tigers then outscored the Hornets 15-4 in the second period to lead 23-15 at halftime.
Houston built a double-digits lead early in the third quarter, going ahead 26-15 when senior guard DJ Riley sank a 3-point shot.
On the strength of active full-court defensive pressure, Laquey went on a 21-10 run and regained the lead at 36-35 when senior guard Rhyder Martin made a driving layup with 48 seconds left in the period.
After freshman forward Karson McCain sank a short shot in traffic, the Tigers went into the final eight minutes with a 37-36 advantage.
But with Martin catching fire from deep, Laquey rallied again and took a 49-45 lead with 4:10 remaining.
But the Tigers didn’t fold, and with Riley doing his job at the free throw line, they pulled ahead again before the wild conclusion.
“The boys stayed together last night and kept battling the entire game,” said HHS head coach Dan Narancich. “Even during timeouts, they were encouraging each other and speaking positively, which was great to see. They kept pushing the ball and competing.
“We did make some silly mistakes that allowed the other team to make runs, but we were able to hold off the momentum swings. When the boys are focused and execute, we can get some big stops defensively.”
Riley scored a team-high 19 points in the game, going 10-for-12 from the free throw line and sinking 6 foul shots in the fourth quarter.
“The team trusts DJ at the line when it comes to closing out a game,” Narancich said. “The team believes in him, and he takes pride in stepping up in those moments. Gavyn has also been playing very well lately — it’s great to see that confidence and growth coming out of him.”
McCain finished with 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while freshman guard Griffin Aaron scored 9 points, Daily had 8 (including 6 in the fourth quarter) and junior guard Dillon Shelton added 7.
After scoring only 2 points in the first half, Martin poured in 25 after the break. He almost single-handedly willed his team to a come-from-behind victory, sinking one 3-pointer in the third quarter and drilling three in the fourth period. He also had 12 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals.
Senior forward Izeyah Boggs scored 9 points for the Hornets (12-9), while Hendrix hit two shots from distance in the second half and added 8.
“I’m proud of the positive energy and coaching mindset,” Narancich said.
The Tigers (10-12, 0-4 SCA) travel to Mountain View to face Liberty on Friday.
TO VIEW A PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE GAME, CLICK HERE.