No. 7 Ozark made five 3-pointers in the first quarter and built an insurmountable double-digit lead on the way to a 40-21 win over Carthage on Saturday in the opening round of the Class 6 District 5 tournament inside Kaminsky Gymnasium.
Ozark (20-6) closed the first quarter with a 16-0 run and that number proved to be the difference as the lead remained the same through the second and third periods. Carthage had a chance to cut the lead to 10 early in the fourth, but Ozark was able to hold CHS at bay and push the lead back out by the final horn.
“We dug ourselves into a hole right from the beginning,” Carthage coach Scott Moore said. “We didn’t have game-ready energy. This is district-level play. You can’t come out half speed or hesitant, and you can’t play defense out of your area. … That was an execution problem defensively. Once we shored that up at the quarter break, it was an even game the rest of the way. I was proud of the girls for fixing that and playing better the rest of the game, but that first eight minutes dug us into a hole we couldn’t get out of.”
THAT’S A WRAP
Carthage ends the season with an 11-16 record and graduates seniors Presley Probert and Sophie Shannon.
“Record-wise, going into the season, we probably aren’t too far off what we thought,” Moore said about his team’s season. “Kianna (Yates) and Sophie (Shannon) were our only returning varsity players with major experience. We knew the next six or seven kids in the rotation would be experiencing first-time situations. That is hard. … We played great at the Pink and White Tournament and we played really well at the Pittsburg tournament. But the last three weeks of the year, we kind of went out on a whimper. I am the type of person that wants to go out with a snarl, not a whimper. I did think we went out the last three quarters with a snarl on our face, so I am proud of them for that.”
GAME ACTION
After both teams knocked down shots from the perimeter to open the scoring, Ozark used a 16-0 run to close the first quarter to steal the momentum early with a 19-3 lead. Ozark converted five times from long range, with Lyla Watson making a trio of 3-pointers in the first eight minutes. Jordyn Foley and Zeffie Kent each connected from long range as well.
Carthage improved remarkably on the defensive end in the second quarter, limiting Ozark to six points on just two field goals and a free throw. Unfortunately, the offense couldn’t find its rhythm against Ozark as Carthage went into the intermission still trailing by 16, 25-9.
Ozark played with a 16-point lead through the third quarter, but Carthage used a score off the drive by Yates and a free throw from Shannon to trim the lead to 13 early in the fourth. CHS had an open look at a 3-pointer that would have cut the lead to 10 with 4:30 on the clock, but the shot was no good and Ozark answered with a 6-0 run to essentially push the game out of reach.
SCORING LEADERS
Watson led Ozark with 12 points, while Moriah Putt had eight points. Alexis Solomon and Riley Boggs each finished with five.
Yates had 12 points to lead Carthage.
UP NEXT
Ozark battles top-seeded Kickapoo at 6 p.m. on March 1 in the district semifinals.
