Hillbillies oust host Blackhawks
PEA RIDGE — Ozark’s boys never let the pressure of playing the Class 4A North Region Tournament’s host team affect their play.
Caleb Lyons’ bucket with 44 seconds left before halftime gave the Hillbillies a 20-19 lead, and they never relinquished it en route to a 5345 victory over Pea Ridge at Blackhawk Arena on Thursday night.
“We’ve been road warriors all year,” Ozark Coach Brad Johnson said. “We played most of our nonconference schedule on the road, so we’re used to playing on the road. We knew Pea Ridge is a good team, and they are followed extremely well.
“We prepared our players, told them it was going to be loud. We’re going to shoot before we leave, and we don’t get to shoot at halftime. That’s fine. We’re just going to go in there and play basketball. It’s 10-foot goals, and you go out there and give everything you’ve got.”
Ozark (22-11) had opened the second quarter with a 10-2 run and enjoyed an 18-14 lead after Ryder Skolarski’s bucket with 4:48 left in the first half. Pea Ridge (26-6) responded and took a 19-18 lead on Zion Whitmore’s two free throws at the 1:08 mark, only to have Lyons hit his bucket to close out the first-half scoring.
The Hillbillies then started the second half with a free throw by Koby Wilbanks and a three-pointer by Lyons to make it a 24-19 game with 6:21 in the third quarter. Pea Ridge would get within 26-24 after Anthoni Ayala’s threepoint play midway through the third quarter. But Ozark went on to take a 30-24 lead to end the third quarter and had its biggest lead when Skolarski’s three-pointer made it 41-32 with 5:45 remaining.
“We talk about trying to win every quarter,” Johnson said. “We weathered the storm a little bit. We hit our first three, then they came back and took the lead. We told them to just weather the storm because we’ve played from behind all year long.
“We’re just not a team that’s going to beat a team by 20, so we’re used to close games. That helps, and we’ve always found ways to consistently win when the game’s on the line. That’s a testament to our guys, all five of them on the floor.”
Lyons finished with 15 points to lead Ozark, which returns to action at 7 p.m. today against 4A-4 Conference counterpart Subiaco Academy, while Kyle Archer added 14 and Skolarski chipped in 13. Ayala and Skye Davenport each had 14 for Pea Ridge, while Whitmore had 12.
MORRILTON 55, HUNTSVILLE 35
Isaiah Templeton scored 11 of his 13 points in the third quarter as Morrilton dominated the second half and advanced with a victory over Huntsville.
The Devil Dogs (26-5) owned a 20-14 halftime lead, then outscored the Eagles (19-15) 22-10 in the third quarter for a 42-24 cushion.
Ty Wright had 11 points and was the only other player in double figures for Morrilton, which plays Farmington in today’s 8:30 p.m. semifinal game. Kobe Ogden and Kayden McCubbin each scored 11 points for Huntsville.
GIRLS
GRAVETTE 52, MENA 28
Gravette held Mena scoreless for the entire second quarter and scored 22 unanswered points to take control and roll past the Lady Bearcats.
The Lady Lions used the second quarter to go on a 19-0 run and turn a seven-point deficit into a 28-13 halftime lead. Brynn Romine, who had 15 points to lead Gravette, then started with second half with a three-pointer to cap her team’s outburst.
Alexa Parker added 13 for the Lady Lions, including a three-pointer that broke a 13-13 tie and put her over the 1,000-point mark for her career. Payton Clark finished with 14 for Mena (14-11).
Gravette returns to action with a 4 p.m. semifinal game against Morrilton, which advanced Wednesday by defeating Shiloh Christian.
DARDANELLE 60, PRAIRIE GROVE 48
Jakayla Walker hit seven three-pointers and finished with 27 points as Dardanelle pulled away from Prairie Grove and earned its first state tournament berth since 2008.
The Lady Sand Lizards (21-7) had an early 23-8 cushion cut to 30-28 at halftime, and they led 43-40 before Walker beat the buzzer with a three-pointer to end the third quarter. She then hit another three to start the fourth quarter, and her last three-pointer made it 5442 with 4:27 left to play.
Stevie Tanner added 13 and Karlie Cursh 10 for Dardanelle, which plays Farmington in today’s 7 p.m. semifinal. Lexie Henry had 21 points and was the only player in double figures for Prairie Grove (19-10).