Tigers break 20-game losing streak, beat Columbia

"That monkey was getting awfully heavy! It's nice to get it off our back and get our first win," said a happy Tiger boys basketball coach Tony Kerfoot after his Tigers held off Columbia, 70-63, for their first win of the season.

It was also their first win since Jan. 3, 2006, when they beat Caldwell. Mountain Home lost the next 14 games of last season, and the first six of this season before winning again -- a string of 20 straight games without a win.

The Tigers started fast, shooting to a 5-0 lead in the first 40 seconds of the ball game, but the scrappy first-year team from Columbia fought back to tie the game at 5-5, with a little over five minutes left in the first quarter.

The tie would be the first of seven on the night, and the game had 13 lead changes.

Mountain Home managed a 16-15 lead after a quarter, and built up a five-point lead in the second period, before a 7-2 run by Columbia gave the Wildcats a 31-30 lead going into the locker room at halftime.

The lead flip-flopped back and forth in the first part of the third quarter before the Tigers went on a 13-0 run to go up, 51-39. It was 51-41, Tigers, heading into the final quarter.

The Wildcats battled back in the fourth, eventually cutting the margin down to four, 63-59, with 2:10 left, but the Tigers, who ended the night shooting just 16 of 34 from the free-throw line, cashed in on seven of 10 down the stretch to clinch the win.

"We scored some points. That helps the offensive worries go away a little bit," said Coach Kerfoot. "We definitely struggled throughout the game. We've got to get under control. We've got to get disciplined."

Kerfoot saw the 21-10 edge for his Tigers in the third quarter as being huge.

"That was the halftime emphasis, to come out and slow it and and run our offense. I didn't want any fast breaks, but to slow it down and run our offense and get into something, and we did, and I thought that efficiency-wise, in that third quarter, that's where we took control."

Robert Moss led the Tigers in scoring with a a season-high and career-high 25 points. Kyle Kerfoot and Nick Barrie also had their best efforts offensively, scoring 14 and 10 points, respectively. Nick O'Briant added 11 points, Brandon Doble and Jake Posey each put in five points, to round out the scoring.

Mountain Home connected on just two of 10 (29 percent) treys, but shot 48 percent (24/50) inside the arc. They shot 47 percent (16/34) from the free-throw line.

Columbia hit four of 10 (40 percent) three-pointers, and 15 of 39 (38 percent) two-point field goals. They shot 81 percent (21/26) from the foul line.

The Tigers had a narrow 31-30 edge on rebounds, with Nick Barrie and Nick O'Briant each bringing down eight boards.

The win improved the Tigers to 1-6 on the season and 1-2 in conference play. They return to action December 29 in a non-conference game at Filer.