By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Trying to rebuild the girls’ basketball program at Houston High School, first-year coach Lindsey Vermillion said her team needed an early season confidence boost.
They may have got it Friday night in the championship game of the Fordland Invitational.
Houston prevailed in a thrilling back-and-forth battle, defeating Dora 76-70 in overtime.
“Exhilarating,” Vermillion said of the outcome. “Honestly, it’s everything you want as a coach. It’s something you dream about: winning in overtime of a championship game. My girls came together. When it was gut-check time, they dug deep and got it done.”
Houston got 51 combined points from Hannah Dzurick (28) and Olivia Crites (23), plus 11 more points from Angie Smith.
That was just enough to overcome an epic performance from Dora senior Cassidy Hambelton, who finished with 55 points. She knocked down seven three-point shots.
“That girl can play, there’s no doubt about that,” Vermillion said of Hambelton. “She had a shooter’s night. There’s nothing nobody could’ve really done more. We went with a simple box-and-one. Whenever (Dora) would draw up a play for her, we just tried to keep two girls on her and hope for the best.”
Hambelton led Dora’s second-half rally after the Lady Falcons trailed 36-26 at halftime. She scored 19 in the fourth quarter alone, amid a whirlwind of lead changes and ties.
“Chaotic,” Dzurick said of the final minutes of regulation. “But it’s one of those games I love to be in rather than a blowout. The energy and competition makes the result more enjoyable.”
Dora (3-1 overall) had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation.
With five seconds remaining, the Lady Falcons in-bounded underneath their own basket and drove the length of the court, but missed a layup as time expired.
“(My heart) went straight to my stomach,” Vermillion said as she watched the sequence. “I looked at my players and said, ‘You got a lucky break. So you better take advantage.’”
Dzurick and Crites led Houston’s decisive late-game surge, combining for 26 points in the fourth quarter and overtime.
“We’re trying to emphasize a family concept – playing together and talking together, having each other’s back,” Vermillion said. “(Druzrick and Crites) read other so well. This whole team right now is really playing well together.”
In the postgame handshake line, Dzurick and Hambelton shared a long hug. The two have forged a friendship through basketball.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
“We used to play against each other all the time, so we kind of know what each other does,” Dzurick said. “It’s fun to play against your friends because you get to have fun and go at each other.”
Houston jumped out to a quick lead in overtime and went 7-for-8 at the free throw line to seal the victory.
Houston improves to 3-0 overall. The Lady Tigers haven’t had a winning season since 2016, when they won a district championship.
“They have the power and depth to do big things this year,” Vermillion said of her squad. “They have to believe that. I can’t be the only to believe that, so I’m trying to get that in their head and boost their confidence like, ‘Hey, you can do great things.’”
Dzurick received tournament MVP honors.
“It’s overwhelming,” she said. “I couldn’t have done it without my team, because they had my back and I had theirs.”
Houston 76, Dora 70 (OT)
Dora 16 10 20 19 5 — 70
Houston 15 21 12 17 11 — 76
Dora (3-1 overall) – Cassidy Hambelton 55, Callen Depriest 4, Lauren Martin 4, Chesney Luna 3, McKenna Miller 2, Shauna Lake 2
Houston (3-0 overall) – Hannah Dzurick 28, Olivia Crites 23, Angie Smith 11, Karlee Curtis 8, Aliyah Walker 4, Arthur 2
