Basketball: Ozark Lady Hillbillies remain undefeated

Ozark boys pull away late

PARIS -- The Ozark Lady Hillbillies escaped Paris Arena with a victory Friday night to remain unbeaten.

Paris had an opportunity to tie the game at the buzzer with a shot near the basket in the final seconds, but it didn't fall as Ozark held on for a 42-40 victory.

Ozark was able to push its 19-15 halftime lead out to 28-15 by scoring the first nine points of the second half. But Paris was able to battle back in the game's final quarter by outscoring Ozark 17-12.

"I felt like we played not to lose," Ozark coach Bret Nagel said. "We are a seasoned team. We just got to do a better job finishing. We had a big lead, but we made some more mistakes. We got a big target on our back, and we got their best game."

Ozark (17-0, 4-0) made the lead 42-40 after a pair of free throws from Meagan Harris with 36 seconds left.

The Lady Hillbillies missed the front end of a one-and-one at the free throw line with six seconds left. Paris was then unable to find the equalizer to send the game to overtime.

"When it is a two-point loss, you think about everything you could've done that would've changed the outcome," Paris coach Dustin Williams said. "A defensive possession here or there and giving up easy baskets. These games are tough."

Ozark held a 30-23 lead heading into the final quarter, but Kieli Robinson cut the advantage to 37-36 with a three-point basket with three minutes left in the game.

"I'm extremely proud my girls never giving up," Williams said. "We only play six girls. So fatigue hits us at some point. We have runs were we look really good. Sometimes we are slow. But they always try to work back into the game."

Ozark limited its turnovers to just two while Paris finished with 15, including one of its final opportunities to tie the game in the final seconds.

"That's our philosophy we want to play solid defense," Nagel said. "Our game plan changed a lot. They hit some big shots. In the end, we control our own destiny. We didn't learn from having a big league."

Ozark was led on offense by Hannah Ladd's team-high 19 points. Ariel Walker added 14 points as well for the Lady Hillbillies.

Robinson finished with a game-high 20 points, including finishing with a team-high 11 points in the final quarter, for Paris (10-11, 2-3).

Ozark 42, Paris 40

Ozark^13^6^11^12^--^42

Paris^8^7^8^17^--^40

Ozark (17-0, 4-0): Ladd 19, Walker 14, Harris 4, Lane 3, Barnett 2.

Paris (10-11, 2-3): Robinson 20, Lee 8, Simmons 6, Stark 3, Quijada 3.

Boys

Ozark 63, Paris 48

Brendon Lawson and Ethan Masingale led a strong second-half surge for Ozark to pull away with a road victory Friday night.

Ozark (15-3) needed to score the final four points of the first half to take a 26-23 halftime lead. The Hillbillies then came out of the break to take a 41-29 lead with Lawson and Masingale leading the way.

"I thought our defense picked up in the second half," Ozark coach Brad Johnson said. "We were turning the ball over and not doing the little things. I felt like we came out with some fire after the break."

Lawson finished with a game-high 22 points and Masingale added 19 for Ozark.

The Hillbillies were able to take a 49-35 lead heading into the final quarter and didn't look back.

Paris (5-15, 1-7) was led by Grayson Moore's team-high 20 points. Kris Graham also contributed 15 for the Eagles.

Ozark had 10 first-half turnovers but then limited the miscues to just two in the final quarter after that to help put the game away in the second half.

Ozark 63, Paris 48

Ozark^12^14^23^12^--^63

Paris^9^14^12^13^--^48

Ozark (14-3, 5-2): Lawson 22, Masingale 19, Haberer 9, Dorrough 7, Needham 4, Smith 2.

Paris (5-15, 1-7): Moore 20, Graham 15, J. Moore 6, Bryant 3, Forbis 2, G. Moore 2.

Preps Basketball on 01/20/2018

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