HIGGINSVILLE – For the second straight season, the Excelsior Springs varsity girls basketball team took fifth at the Husker Classic. And for the second straight season, the Tigers edged a familiar foe to win the fifth-place game: Richmond. Before the Tigers faced the Spartans Dec. 10 at Lafayette County of Higginsville, however, they played two other games. They opened Dec. 6 with a 56-43 loss to the Oak Grove. Oak Grove led 16-11 after one quarter. Excelsior Springs edged Oak Grove 14-11 the second quarter to cut the Panthers’ lead to two, 27-25, at halftime. The Panthers put it out of reach in the third quarter by outscoring the Tigers 18-4. Excelsior Springs outscored Oak Grove 14-11 the fourth quarter. Senior Rylie Stottlemyre led Excelsior Springs with a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds. Senior Mallory Millsap also reached double figures with 13 points. Millsap’s stat line also included three reboun...