As the host team of the fifth annual Houston Community Foundation Varsity Boys Basketball Tournament, the Houston Tigers won twice and lost once this week on their home floor in Tiger Fieldhouse and finished as the six-team event’s third-place squad.
The tournament field was split into two pools, with pool play taking place Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and the final round on Thursday.
Houston began pool play with a 74-64 victory over Cabool on Tuesday and then lost to Couch on Wednesday, 65-56.
Thursday’s final round featured games between the top two, middle two and bottom two squads from each pool. That created the third matchup of the season between Houston and Summersville, as the Wildcats lost to Fordland on Monday and beat Koshkonong on Tuesday.
And as was the case the first two times the teams met, the Tigers got the win, this time by a score of 68-35. The contest was highlighted by HHS senior guard DJ Riley surpassing the 1,000-point mark for his high school career.
“I’m happy with the team effort in the tournament,” said HHS head coach Dan Narancich. “We played well against Cabool then turned around and lost to Couch by nine after playing the night before and by simply making silly errors. We regrouped and came out with a win over Summerville; the boys told me they were ready to go and locked in to play that night, and it showed.”
BIG THIRD PERIOD LEADS TO VICTORY
The Tigers got off to a fast start against Cabool, building an 18-4 lead midway through the first quarter. But the Bulldogs responded with a 9-0 run and trailed 18-14 at the end of the period.
After the two teams each scored 14 points in the second quarter, the Tigers got the momentum after the break, outscoring Cabool 28-14 in the third period.
Houston led by as much as 21 points in the fourth quarter before the Bulldogs made several baskets down the stretch to trim the final margin to 10.
Riley and freshman forward Karson McCain each scored 21 points for the Tigers, while senior guard Caden Guerra had 12 and senior center Gavyn Daily added 10. McCain recorded a double-double in the game by snatching a game-high 11 rebounds, while Riley had 7 steals and 6 assists.
The Bulldogs were led in scoring by sophomore forward Josiah Leonard with 25 points and junior guard Jordan Kentner with 20.
TIGERS CAN’T HOLD ON TO LEAD
The Tigers led 19-18 at the end of the first quarter, but Couch gained the momentum and was up 37-29 at halftime and 56-40 after three quarters.
Riley scored 15 points to lead Houston in scoring, while McCain had 12 and Guerra sank three 3-pointers and added 11.
Couch had four players score in double figures, led by junior guard Caden Massey with 17 points.
Both teams struggled at the free throw line, as the Tigers sank only 10-of-18 foul shots and Couch made just 7-of-17.
ANOTHER SLOW START, BUT ANOTHER WIN
Summersville jumped out to an 8-1 lead at the outset of Thursday’s game and led 13-9 at the end of the first quarter.
But the Tigers then used their transition game to flip the script and outscored the Wildcats 22-3 in the second period before cruising to the lopsided victory.
Guerra had a hot hand from deep in the contest and drained a career-high seven 3-pointers on the way to scoring a game-high 25 points. Riley finished with 21 points in the contest and stood at 1,012 for his career, while McCain added 14.
The Tigers sank a season-high 12 3-pointers and a total of 26 field goals in the win, while going 3-for-6 from the foul line.
Sophomore Reed Peifer led Summersville in scoring with 11 points, as the Wildcats made only 12 field goals and went 7-for-12 from the stripe.
Riley’s big bucket came on a fast-break with 2:15 left in the second period when he took a pass from McCain and sank a layup. He is the fifth HHS boy to reach the 1,000-point milestone.
“It means a lot of hard work and dedication,” Riley said, “with all those times in the gym by myself and all the hard workouts. It feels very refreshing.”
Riley said he came to realize he was on pace for 1,000 points midway through his junior season.
“I really started pushing and pushing, and it finally paid off,” he said.
Reaching the milestone was especially rewarding since it happened during a win, Riley said.
“That means a lot, too,” he said. “Coming into this game, my mindset was mostly on the win and getting third place – and we got it.”
“It’s a great honor to be a part of DJ’s milestone of getting 1,000 points, and for him to be a part of so few elite shooters in school history,” Narancich said. “I am blessed to get to coach him, and I don’t think he is quite done breaking shooting records. He still has one more – to get the all-time leading scorer for the boys basketball team, and he is capable of doing so.”
Riley has been a four-year starter for the Tigers.
“I want to be remembered as a person who never gave up and hustled a lot,” he said. “All that hard work really pays off; even if you’re a freshman and you don’t think you should work hard in the gym and in that weight room, I promise you that if you work hard, you’ll see results.”
Fordland won the tournament, going 3-0 by beating Summersville and Koshkonong in pool play and then downing Couch in the championship game, 88-62.
Next week, the Tigers (8-9, 0-1 SCA) are scheduled to host Laquey on Tuesday (Jan. 27) and travel to Bourbon on Thursday.
“Everyone is stepping up and playing roles in our wins,” Narancich said. “We are starting to really see us capitalizing on rebounding and put-backs, getting in passing lanes and reading early where the ball is going. Our defensive change has multiplied our steals and deflections from last year. We continue to learn from our losses and get better as a team. The boys are fighting all the way through games and not giving up.
“They are really starting to realize the team they are capable of being and we are hoping this continues on as we get ready for the SCA stretch of games.”
HCF TOURNAMENT SCOREBOARD
Jan. 19
Pool A: Fordland 70, Summersville 44
Pool B: Couch 74, Cabool 56
Jan. 20
Pool A: Summersville 46, Koshkonong 45
Pool B: Houston 74, Cabool 64
Jan. 21
Pool A: Fordland 78, Koshkonong 41
Pool B: Couch 65, Houston 56
Jan. 22
Cabool 63, Koshkonong 57
Houston 68, Summersville 35
Fordland 88, Couch 62