Bret Nagel was short and to the point about Tuesday night's game.

“I thought Prairie Grove was the better team tonight,” said Nagel, Ozark’s girls basketball coach. “I thought they outworked us, and they did everything they needed to do to win.”

Prairie Grove defeated Ozark 57-41 in a game the Lady Tigers controlled from the beginning.

“I’m pleased with the girls,” Prairie Grove coach Kevin Froud said. “They kept competing. I know we were getting tired, and we kept competing.”

Prairie Grove (1-0, 6-3) started the game strong, scoring 20 points in the first quarter, with Whitnee Fitts accounting for half.

“That was big,” Froud said. “I thought Whitnee Fitts had a really big first quarter, then she got into foul trouble and had to sit out some.”

The Lady Tigers slowed down after the first quarter, something Froud hopes to improve upon as the season progresses.

“I think we had some mental lapses at times, not taking care of the ball,” Froud said.

But the Tigers had a resurgence of energy in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 points and allowing only six.

“We live and die on the defense and rebounding,” Froud said. “As coaches, that’s what we instill in them.”

Defense may be the team’s strength, but there was no shortage of offense from a few of Prairie Grove’s players as three of them scored in the double digits. Fitts led the way with 18 points, Lacey Beeks compiled 14 and Justyne Huber contributed 12. 

Froud said he was especially impressed with Beeks, with 10 of her 14 points coming on free throws.

“Beeks had a real good game,” Froud said. “This is her third year playing high school ball. She’s been in the battles, and she stepped up and made some big shots, some big free throws.”

Ozark (0-1, 6-4) had two players score in double digits, with Sara Aguilar and Abby Helmert accounting for 10 points each.

“I thought Sara was our bright spot tonight,” Nagel said. “She plays hard. By looking at her you wouldn’t think she’d be a very good basketball player because she’s so small, but I thought she was our one bright spot tonight.”

Froud said he was pleased to begin conference play with a win, and regardless of the areas in need of improvement, there’s one thing he will take every day.

“If I can get the effort we had tonight for the rest of the season, then I think we’ll be OK,” Froud said. 

Prairie Grove 57, Ozark 41

Ozark 8 13 14 6 — 41

Prairie Grove 20 11 11 15 — 57

Ozark (0-1, 6-4): Aguilar 10, Helmert 10, Melton 7, Flegel 5, Baker 3, Allred 2, Huffington 2, Gragg 2.

Prairie Grove (1-0, 6-3): Fitts 18, Beeks 14, Huber 12, Kultgen 9, Smith 4.

Boys

The boys game had an entirely different vibe than the girls, with Ozark defeating Prairie Grove 42-41 in a game that came down to the final seconds.

Ozark’s Cole Yell scored with seconds left to put the Hillbillies ahead by one. Yell had only two points, but they were the most important points in the game.

Ozark’s (0-1, 1-5) Tripp White led the game in scoring with 14 points, with Prairie Grove's (1-0, 2-7) Ty Tice close behind with 13. 

Boys

Ozark 42, Prairie Grove 41

Ozark 10 5 15 12 — 42

Prairie Grove 8 12 7 14 — 41

Ozark (1-0, 2-7): White 14, Radley 9, Richard 9, Wade 3, Kelly 3, Yell 2, Simpson 2.

Prairie Grove (0-1, 1-5): Tice 13, Storlie 11, Doughty 10, Winters 7.