Three decades in at Houston, coach Brent Kell will get to coach his Lady Tigers at least for one more game.
Houston pulled away from SCA foe Willow Springs on Saturday night in the Class 3, District 10 title game, holding the Bears to just four points over the final 12 minutes to win 47-34.
The victory marks Houston’s second district title in program history and first since 2004. The Tigers had lost in the district finals to Licking the past two seasons.
Kell, who will be retiring at the end of this season, said it’s an achievement his hard-working group has earned.
GAME PHOTOS: HOUSTON VS. WILLOW SPRINGS
“We’re moving on and we have another chance,” Kell said. “I’m just really proud of the kids. Yeah, it’s emotional knowing that it’s coming to an end. But at the same time, I’m looking forward to retirement. We’ll just see how far we can go with these girls. I love this group. They’re so coachable and they’re great kids.”
Sarah Kelley led the way with 18 points and six rebounds for Houston, but it was role players such as junior Jaydin Ramsey and sophomore Kaitlyn Root stepping up that made the difference.
Ramsey hit three treys in the game, including a key one in the fourth quarter that put Houston up 36-30 with 5:23 remaining.
"(Ramsey) did fantastic," Kelley said. "We had been working all week on our outside shooting. Our guards knew they would have to step up and they did amazing tonight. They really showed up."
On Houston’s next possession, after Willow Springs cut the deficit to 36-32, Root grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a put-back to put the Tigers back up six.
It was Houston’s third win over Willow Springs in four meetings this season. The previous three games were decided by three points or fewer.
“We got down in the third quarter a little bit but fought back and kept doing the things we needed to do, that we had to do, to win,” said Kell, who has spent his entire coaching career at Houston. “Our defense was solid, especially in the fourth quarter. Our girls took (Willow Springs) out of their offense for the most part.”
Willow Springs’ only senior, Beth Sherbo, scored a team-high 18. Her three-point play midway through the third quarter gave Willow Springs a 30-27 lead at the time.
The Bears (17-12 overall) were without sophomore sharpshooter Kianna Rothermich (injury), who averaged 11.5 points per game and made 56 3-pointers through the regular season.
Houston faces St. James (22-6 overall) in the Class 3 sectional round on Wednesday, March 2 at 6 p.m. at Missouri S&T in Rolla.
"It's so exciting and it's going to be great getting to play in the playoffs," Kelley said. "This experience is just fantastic. You'll never forget this."
Houston 47, Willow Springs 34
Willow Springs 11 11 8 4 — 34
Houston 8 15 8 16 — 47
Willow Springs – Beth Sherbo 18, Devin Perkins 6, Sydney Miller 5, Kayla Cox 4, Liliya Dudko 1
Houston – Sarah Kelley 18, Jaydin Ramsey 11, Kaitlyn Root 8, Makayla Koch 4, Abby Casper 4, Shelby Cremer 2
