RICHMOND – Win No. 2 of the varsity boys basketball season continued to elude the Tigers last week.

Playing in the Richmond Winter Classic, Excelsior Springs fell to eventual tournament runner-up Pembroke Hill, a Kansas City-based private school; and Ewing Marion Kauffman, a charter school in Kansas City. The losses put the Tigers at 1-14, with an 11-game losing streak.

The Tigers found themselves vainly trying to play catchup in their 73-48 tournament-opening loss to Pembroke Hill Jan. 24 at Richmond Middle School. The Raiders scored the first nine points before junior Brendan Blackburn sank a free throw to put Excelsior Springs on the board just past the midway point of the first quarter. Excelsior Springs hit one field goal during the remainder of the quarter and trailed 16-3 at quarter’s end.

Pembroke Hill outscored Excelsior Springs 27-17 the second quarter to lead 43-20 at halftime. The Raiders outscored the Tigers 35-28 the second half.

Senior Gannon Willis and junior Trevor Stanton each scored 10 points to lead the Tigers. Other scorers were Blackburn with seven points, senior Trevor Burkman and junior Rakai Gannt with six points each, junior Colson Moore with three points, and junior Damari Wesley and freshmen Jake Zapata and Carson Gholson with two points each.

Excelsior Springs played Kauffman even for much of the first quarter when the teams met Jan. 26, also at the middle school, in the consolation semifinals. Kauffman, however, ended the first quarter with a 6-0 run and pulled away with a 20-7 second quarter.

The Tigers scored 10 points in the first quarter, seven in the second, three in the third and eight in the fourth in the 66-28 loss.

Willis led Excelsior Springs with nine points. Zapata contributed seven points and Blackburn added six. Gantt, Moore and Gholson had two points each to round out the team’s scoring.

Because of severe winter weather, the Tigers are down to one game this week. Their meeting Wednesday with North Platte at Excelsior Springs has been postponed to Feb. 16, district activities information states. They are slated to face Center in Missouri River Valley Conference West Division play Friday at Center.