Ozark Thwarts Lady Tiger Comeback

PRAIRIE GROVE — The twice-beaten Lady Hillbillies were forced to execute for the duration of a contest with Prairie Grove that wasn’t decided until the final minutes with Ozark winning, 57-50, Thursday.

The first-round contest in the 4A North Regional at Berryville featured surges by both teams in the first half. Ozark (25-2) scored 22 first-quarter points, before Prairie Grove (18-12) got back in the game by holding the Lady Hillbillies to 5 points in the second quarter.

Larisha Crawford and Lexie Madewell hit 3-pointers and Sarah James-Stone scored three times driving to the basket to keep Prairie Grove in the game during the first quarter. Stone played aggressive offensively, consistently attacking the basket. She scored 14 for Prairie Grove and Madewell had 9.

Madewell’s 3-pointer pulled the Lady Tigers within 22-18 early in the second. They trailed 27-24 at halftime. The third quarter was a struggle with Prairie Grove scoring just six points to 12 for Ozark. The Lady Hillbillies led 39-30 going into the fourth quarter and Prairie Grove could not overtake them.

Back-to-back steals and layups by Ariel Walker pushed Ozark out to a 44-30 lead early in the fourth. Forced to play catch-up the Lady Tigers weren’t able to make a dent in the deficit although they tried valiantly. Jordan Sugg, Stone, Madewell, Jasmine Wynos and Emily Grant all contributed points but the Lady Tigers still trailed by 10 at 54-44 with 1:56 to go when coach Kevin Froud used his last time-out. They couldn’t close the gap and Ozark won 57-50.

The loss ended Prairie Grove’s season, one victory short of qualifying for the state tournament.

Hannah Ladd scored a game-high 23 points for Ozark. Ariel Walker added 12 and Lauren Lane 10.