Ozark Is Regional Runner-Up; Hillbillies Advance To State
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by Eddie Duerr
The Ozark High School Hillbillies fell in the 4A-1 Regional Championship on Saturday, Feb. 28, and will advance to the 4A State Tournament at Morrilton as a number two seed.
Ozark defeated Berryville and conference rival Dardanelle to advance to the regional finals, where the team fell short against Shiloh Christian.
The Hillbillies will play Forrest City, the number three seed from the 4A-2 Region, at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, March 5.
Berryville
The Hillbillies entered regional tournament play last week as the number three seed, taking on the number two seed from the north, the Berryville Bobcats. The Bobcats were a very physical team, but Ozark was up for the challenge.
After a low-scoring first half, Ozark led 23-20 at the break. Berryville kept it close, but Ozark was able to pull out a 55-50 win.
Cooper Duerr led Ozark with 17 points, and Easton Fox had eight. Ozark got a big boost from Cooper Perrin, who finished with 12 points.
Dardanelle
Next up for the Hillbillies would be the tough Dardanelle Sand Lizards, who they met for the fourth time this season.
Ozark came out playing well and took a 12-point halftime lead. The Hillbillies controlled Dardanelle throughout, winning comfortably, 59-45.
Drake Frimann had a big 10 points off the bench in the win. Duerr had 24 on the night, and Fox finished with 12 in the victory.
Shiloh Christian
The regional championship would match Ozark against Shiloh Christian, the number one seed from the north.
The Hillbillies found themselves in a hole at 14-3 early, but fought back to cut it to eight by halftime. Ozark cut the deficit to five on two different occasions but fell 56-47 in the end.
Duerr finished with 24 points, and Caleb Lyons recorded nine in the loss.
Ozark is now 27-6 on the year.
Girls
The Ozark Lady Hillbillies were the number four seed in the regional tournament in Prairie Grove and faced the tough task of playing the number one seed from the north, the Shiloh Christian Lady Saints.
Ozark was short-handed, without Sydnie Herriage, who was injured in district tournament play, and found it hard to keep up with Shiloh Christian.
The season came to an end for the Lady Hillbillies as they dropped the game, 56-18.
Brooklyn Akers led Ozark with seven points and three rebounds. The Lady Hillbillies finished the season with a final record of 10-19.
BUCKET—Ozark’s Easton Fox goes for a bucket during the first-round game against Berryville at the 4A-1 Regional Tournament last week. Fox scored eight points for the Hillbillies in their win.
–Photo courtesy Teresa Graham-Cooper
Read this story and others in the March 4 issue of The Graphic, available online and at businesses throughout Franklin and Johnson counties. Subscribe or donate here to support more hometown journalism.
