FARMINGTON — Ozark simply refused to give up its lead Feb. 24.
The Lady Hillbillies took control early and held off every Gentry challenge in earning a 49-37 win over the Lady Pioneers in the first round of the Class 4A North Region Tournament.
Ozark (21-8) led throughout, and by as many as 11 in the first half. But Gentry (20-10) closed the gap to 37-32 early in the fourthquarter after a 3-pointer by Kelsea Whitten.
Much like the rest of the game, when the Lady Pioneers would get close, the Lady Hillbillies had an answer. This time, it came in the form of a 10-0 run that effectively put the game away.
Makayla Hood, who finished with 14 points for Ozark, opened the game with six straight points for the Lady Hillbillies. Emily Hawkins then scored 10 of her game-high 20 points in the second quarter as Ozark took a 29-21 halftime lead.
“It seemed like every time we got it to four or five, they executed a big shot or big play and got it back to seven or eight,” Gentry coach Tim Rippy said. “It’s frustrating, for sure.”
Whitten and Brittany Green each scored 10 points to lead the Lady Pioneers.
“I really, really wanted these seniors to go (to state), and I thought we were capable of that,” Rippy said. “But I’ve got to give Ozark a lot of credit. They outplayed us.”
Sports, Pages 7 on 03/03/2010