Tigers go two and out at district

In what can be described as, "The one that got away," -- like many of the games they lost this year -- the 2005-2006 boys basketball season came to a close for the Mountain Home Tigers Saturday afternoon at Vallivue.

With losses to Skyview and Vallivue the Tigers were eliminated from the District III 4A boys basketball tournament.

Skyview 70

Mountain Home 49

For over three quarters the Mountain Home Tigers gave top-seeded Skyview a fierce battle, when the two met in first-round action at Skyview last Tuesday.

But in yet another chapter in the story of, "The One That Got Away," the Tigers hit a span of over six and a half minutes in the second quarter when they did not score.

Skyview, however, scored 17 points to build up a 42-20 halftime lead and put the game out of reach.

After ties at 2-2 and 4-4, the Hawks shot out to a 13-4 lead, but Mountain Home battled back to within four, 20-16, at the end of the first quarter.

A trey by Andy Maxwell to start the second period put the Hawks up by seven, and a basket by Jarrod Roberson brought the Tigers back within five, 25-20, with 6:31 left in the half. Mountain Home would miss eight straight shots and turn the ball over six times during the course of the rest of the period, and found themselves down, 42-20 at the half.

Two free throws and a basket by Jarrod Roberson to start the third period cut the lead to 18, 42-24. It was 57-37 Skyview heading into the final quarter.

Skyview shot out to a 24-point lead early in the fourth, but the Tigers battled and were able to get it to 70-49 at the end.

"I thought we played a great game tonight," said Mountain Home Tiger basketball coach Tony Kerfoot after the game.

"We got a little tired there, and did things to make ourselves come apart, and that's what we're trying to work against. I thought we played a good second half, and in the third quarter we outscored them by two points, and I've got to give the kids a lot of credit for that.

"They've just got to start believing in themselves and staying together. I was real pleased with the way they played for the most part tonight."

Jarrod Roberson led the Tigers in scoring with 20 points and four steals. Tyler Hicks netted nine points, Eric Gardzina had seven, and led the team with 11 rebounds and two blocked shots.

Jacob Monasterio scored six points, Travis Eikeness added four, and Robert Moss scored three points and had seven assists.

The Tigers shot just 15 percent (2/13) on three-point attempts, but were a hot 54 percent (20/37) inside the arc. They shot a dismal 38 percent (3/8) from the free-throw line.

Skyview hit 33 percent (7/21) of their treys, and a sizzling 58 percent (21/36) on two-pointers. They shot 50 percent (7/14) from the charity stripe.

Vallivue 70

Mountain Home 62

The final chapter of, "The One That Got Away," ended last Saturday at Vallivue, when the Tigers came up short, 70-62, to Vallivue, to see their season come to a close.

The Tigers got off to a fast start, and led, 16-8, with 1:28 left in the first quarter. Vallivue cut it to 16-12 at the quarter's end and took their first lead, 19-18, on a basket by Will Bogan.

Eric Gardzina and Troy Williams hit back-to-back baskets to put Mountain Home up, 22-19, with 4:19 left in the half, but Will Bogan, who had 10 points in the quarter, and 25 for the game, helped the Falcons to a 32-28 halftime lead.

Mountain Home whittled the lead down to three points on a couple occasions in the third period, the last one at 36-33, with 5:47 left in the quarter, but treys by Corey Barnes and Will Bogan stretched it to 42-33 less than a minute later. It was 50-45 Vallivue heading into the final quarter.

Eric Gardzina's trey with 6:20 left brought the Tigers within four, 54-50, but a 13-2 run by Vallivue gave the Falcons a 13-point lead with 3:09 left.

Troy Williams hit a trey with 15 seconds left to get the Tigers back within eight, 70-62.

Tiger basketball coach Tony Kerfoot was pleased with way his team never gave up.

"I've got to thank the kids for that, I thought they played a spirited game tonight, and I really think they wanted to go on. We just had a few things go against us, and it was still a tight ball game.

"I think it was a battle of tempo today. I think Vallivue wanted the game in the 70s, and we wanted the game in the low 60s or 50s, and it got up there and out of our realm.

"It was one of those things where maybe we needed to be a little bit better in one or two areas and we can control a game like that. You've got to play 32 minutes, and you've got to earn everything you get, and if you quit playing, you should get beat. That's the way I look at it.

"If you get to a point where you try to coast because, okay, we've got an eight-point lead, which I think we did in the first quarter, we got complacent offensively, and they got physical and came out and pushed us down a couple times and picked up the ball and went down and scored.

"That's pretty much the way it happened, and we didn't get calls. I thought there should have been some, but that's been a break we've seen all year long. We just didn't react well to that -- that's not in our nature -- we don't react well to the physical play. We've got to get tougher that way."

Robert Moss and Eric Gardzina both scored in double figures for Mountain Home. Moss scored 15 points and had four steals, which Gardzina matched his season's best of 14 points, and had seven rebounds.

Jarrod Roberson ended the night with nine points, eight of which he scored in the first quarter. Foul trouble sat him down most of the second quarter, and when he picked up his fourth early in the third, he set out until the fourth quarter.

Troy Williams scored seven points, Tyler Hicks added six, Jacob Monasterio and Travis Eikeness both scored four, and David Anderson scored one.

Mountain Home connected on four of 15 treys for 27 percent, while Vallivue hit seven of 19 for 37 percent. The Tigers shot 48 percent (19/40) inside the arc, Vallivue, 53 percent (17/32).

Mountain Home hit 60 percent (12/20) of their free throws, Vallivue shot 68 percent (15/22).

The loss to Vallivue ended the Tigers' season. They finished 4-18.