HOUSTON – Fans could have predicted a packed house and a close game when the Houlka Wildcats traveled down the county to take on Houston – and they would have been right.

Devante Pulliam got the tip for Houston and Lazerick Pulliam got the goal and the Toppers kept control of the scoreboard in the first quarter. Houlka’s Jarvis Pulliam put the first Wildcat points on the board and Cory Pulliam got things going with a deuce and a trey, but the Cats stalled with turnovers, blocked shots and timely Houston steals. Thomas Hill scored the final points of the quarter on a put back and the Toppers led 16-8.

The second quarter saw the Cats gain some ground, outscoring Houston 17-10 to close the half 25-26. Lorenzo Jones came in with a couple of free throws and Dante Turner got two treys plus major style points for his under-the-goal-backward bucket to help the Cats close the gap. Kevin Moore dropped in three FT along the way.

Kirby Jones took the rebound all the way for the final basket to keep Houston up 26-25.

The third quarter saw the Wildcats outshoot the Toppers 26-16 with Jarvis Pulliam getting the go-ahead bucket on a pass from Kevin Moore. Kirby Jones got the trey to regain the lead but the Cats got a hot streak going sparked by another trey by Turner with J. Pulliam getting the boards to extend the lead to 51-42 at the close of the third period.

The Toppers worked on closing the gap in the fourth with D. Pulliam getting the first bucket of the quarter, followed by a K. Jones steal to the hole, but the Cats were determined not to make it easy. With 2:49, the battle for the top spot began as D. Pulliam got the Cats rebound to L. Pulliam for the bucket and turned a Wildcat turnover into another two points, closing the gap to 59-61. K. Jones dropped in a couple of free throws and D. Pulliam followed with a bucket and a jam to tie 65-all.

L. Pulliam’s trey put the Toppers up 68-65 and a foul on Frison led to the free throw pints for the 71-65 lead.

Houlka’s Brandon Griffin got the last lay-in before time ran out, but it wasn’t enough for the Cats and Houston took the 71-67 win in a fierce battle from both sides.

“Inexperience cost us a game,” said Houlka Coach Jimmy Guy McDonald. “They played us real hard and we didn’t keep them off the boards. They got the rebounds and the extra shots. Hopefully, we can correct the problem with experience. We gave ourselves opportunities to win and I have to credit Houston for coming back. It was typical Houston/Houlka basketball.”

Kirby Jones led all scorers with 19 points, followed by Houston’s L. Pulliam with 17 and D. Pulliam with 16. Houlka was paced by Kevin Moore with 17, J. Pulliam with 16, Dante Turner with 14 and Cory Pulliam with 12.

Lady Toppers win over Lady Wildcats

The first game of the evening saw the Lady Topper get a 45-31 win over the Lady Cats. Both teams came out fighting and drew to a 12-10 first quarter, but the Lady Toppers gained the advantage with a 6-2 second period for a 18-12 lead at the half.

In the second half, the Lady Toppers outscored the Lady Cats in both quarters in what turned out to be a defensive struggle from both teams.

Candiace McIntosh led for Houlka with 10 points, while Tynita Baker led for Houston with 14.