GRAVETTE — Gravette’s boys basketball team finished the first half Jan. 3 by scoring seven straight points and building a flurry of momentum. Fortunately for the Lions, it didn’t stop there.
Gravette outscored Ozarkby 12 points in the second half and pulled away for a 42-29 victory over the Hillbillies in 4A-1 Conference play.
Leading the Lions on offense was junior forward Carson Pollreis, who scored 16 points and had three rebounds.
“We really harassed them, we were just dominant defensively and they had a hard time getting anything done,” Gravette coach Dustin Peters said. “I was proud that we found a way to win even though we didn’t shoot the ball extremely well.”
Ozark’s Ty Radley stole the ball near mid-court with 3 minutes, 29 seconds left before halftime and scored an easy layup to give his team an 18-12 lead.
But Gravette responded with its seven-point run, including a 3-pointer from Terence Pierce to get the one-point lead at the break.
In the third quarter, the Lions (9-5, 2-2) had a 12-0 run, including another 3-pointer from Pollreis, to turn their one-point lead into 10 with eight minutes left in the game.
“We just struggled in scoring the basketball,” Ozark coach Brad Johnson said. “We haven’t put a few things together on offense and we can’t make our shots. We need to take better shot selections but, because of that, we’re creating unnecessary turnovers and not giving ourselves easy chances.”
In the second half, Ozark (6-9, 2-2) committed 11 turnovers and made only 1 of 8 shots in the fourth quarter.
Leading the Hillbillies on offense was Jarrett Turner with seven points and Radley with six.
GIRLS Ozark 60, Gravette 56
Ozark outscored the Lady Lions by 12 points in the third quarter to overcome a big first-half deficit and hold on for the victory.
Leading the Lady Hillbillies (10-6, 2-2) was senior Ashley Grigsby, who finished with 22 points. Senior Cortnie Weseman also contributed with 13 points.
Ozark made 29 foul shots, including 16 of 21 in the fourth quarter.
Gravette led 32-23 athalftime before going cold on offense in the second half. The Lady Lions were led on offense by Shyanne Nichols, who scored 24 points. Destaney Wishon also scored 17.
Lions Progressing
There were times this season when Gravette boys basketball coach Dustin Peters wasn’t sure if his team would ever find offensive consistency.
But in the last few weeks, the Lions (9-5, 2-2 4A-1 Conference) are starting to gel.
Gravette went 2-1 in a tournament at Alma over the break before defeating Ozark 42-29 Tuesday night.
“Our offense has come a long way,” Peters said. “It’s been a battle for us, but I think we’re starting to see the upside to making more high percentage shots.”
Peters said his team focuses on its defense, which in turn creates offensive possessions. That was the case on Tuesday as Gravette forced the Hillbillies into 19 turnovers.
“We’re a team that has to shoot the basketball from the perimeter to have some success because we’re so little,” Peters said. “But when we shoot it, I feel like we’re pretty hard for anybody to guard.”
The Lions leading scorer is sophomore forward Terence Pierce, who isn’t a full-time starter. Peters said he comes off the bench and averages 14 points per game.
Editor’s Note: Gravette boys overcame Lincoln on Saturday, 62-59; and the Sacred Heart Rebels, 61-60, on Dec. 29.
Iwas proud that
we found a way to win even though we didn't shoot the ball extremely well.
Coach Dustin Peters
Sports, Pages 7 on 01/11/2012