Dayville/Monument’s Cash Moore (20) and Preston Fretwell (14) challenge a Huntington layup attempt during their game on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023, in Monument. The Tigers fell 56-44 despite a gutsy effort from the team.

MONUMENT — The Dayville/Monument boys basketball team dropped a home game to Huntington on Saturday, Jan. 7, after a late rally fell short.

The Tigers trailed by double digits throughout most of the contest but looked to be making a run in the fourth quarter, cutting the Locomotives’ lead down to single digits and building the momentum needed to stage a comeback.

Timely Huntington three pointers and an inability to answer those baskets stifled the comeback attempt, however, as the Tigers fell to the Locomotives 56-44 in non-league action. The loss drops the Tigers to 2-11 on the season.

The Locomotives started the game with the lead and the ball due to a scorebook infraction that saw Huntington sink a pair of free throws and retain possession of the ball to start the contest. The Locomotives would go on a run following the free throws to take an early 9-2 lead and force the Tigers to call timeout in an attempt to slow the Huntington scoring attack down.

The Locomotives outscored the Tigers 9-6 following the timeout to take an 18-8 lead into the second quarter. Huntington continued their scoring blitz in the second quarter, outscoring the Tigers 17-10 in the period.

The Tigers headed into halftime down 17 points and looking for answers. A strong third quarter effort put the game within reach for the Tigers headed into the final quarter of play.

The Tigers outscored the Locomotives 17-8 in the third quarter, drawing to within 10 points. The Locomotives took a 42-32 lead into the fourth quarter, but all the momentum was with the Tigers.

At one point in the fourth quarter, the Tigers had cut the Locomotive lead to nine points and appeared poised to make a comeback bid. A pair of costly three pointers given up by the Tigers pushed the lead back to double digits, however, and shifted the game’s momentum back to the Locomotives.

In the end, the comeback bid was not enough as missed opportunities stifled the Tiger effort and resulted in a 56-44 defeat.

Leading the way for the Tigers was Cash Moore, who finished with a team-high 12 points. Not far behind was Michael Martin, who finished with 11 points on the day.

Rounding out the Tiger top scorers was Ethan Thompson. Thompson finished just outside of a double-digit performance, logging nine points in the game.

Dayville/Monument head boys basketball coach Mike Davis said his team toughened up in the second half, which allowed them to attempt to make a run in the fourth quarter. “We got tough. We were soft in the first half,” Davis said.

That toughness can make the Tigers competitive through the rest of their schedule, he added.

“We put our heads together, play as a team and get tough, we have a chance in every one of these games,” Davis said.

The team will travel to John Day to take on Grant Union’s JV squad on Tuesday, Jan. 10. Tipoff for the game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.