by Eddie Duerr
The Ozark Hillbillies made an exciting run in the 4A State Tournament at Morrilton High School last week, ultimately falling in the quarterfinals against Magnolia.
First Round
In the first round of the tournament on Thursday, March 5, the Hillbillies defeated the Forrest City Mustangs 62-57.
Coach Brad Johnson had Ozark prepared well, especially on the defensive end. The Hillbillies found themselves down nine at the end of the first quarter, but cut it to four at halftime, trailing 31-27. A huge third-quarter effort by Ozark led to the Hillbillies outscoring Forrest City 20-6 in the quarter. Ozark struggled a bit at the free-throw line down the stretch but was able to hold off the Mustangs for the five-point win.
Senior Caleb Lyons led the Hillbillies with 19 points, followed by Cooper Duerr with 14 points. Easton Fox finished with 10 points to go along with 16 rebounds.
The win marked the first state tournament victory for Johnson as Ozark advanced into the Elite 8 of the tournament.
Quarterfinals
Next up for the Hillbillies were the Magnolia Panthers on Friday, March 6.
Ozark grabbed a 15-13 lead after the first quarter, but the athletic Panthers clawed back to take a 29-23 halftime lead. Magnolia outscored the Hillbillies by a single point in the third quarter and took a seven-point lead into the fourth period. Ozark fought extremely hard but could not overcome Magnolia, falling 55-46 in the end.
Duerr was six-of-10 from three-point range and finished with 25 points in the game to lead Ozark. The team’s two seniors, Teyo Flake and Lyons, played their final game as Hillbillies and combined for 11 points in the loss.
Ozark finished the season co-conference champs, regional runner-up, and made the final eight of the state tournament, capping one of the most successful seasons in the history of Ozark basketball. The Hillbillies finished with an overall record of 27-7.
Read this story and others in the March 11 issue of The Graphic, available online and at businesses throughout Franklin and Johnson counties. Subscribe or donate here to support more hometown journalism.
