SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- With a shot at the district championship game, bragging rights, and the hope to keep their season alive, the Nixa Lady Eagles and Ozark Lady Tigers squared off Tuesday night at the O'Reilly Family Event Center.
Ozark came out on top 54-41. The Lady Tigers captured the victory with one aspect of the game that just can't be taught: height.
Senior Melanie Williams and junior Jackie Fugate were the difference for Ozark. Both forwards were able to use their size to dominate the game down low in the paint.
"I really thought our bigs stepped up," Ozark head coach Yancy Little said. "We do have some versatile girls. Melanie can play inside or out and Fugate is a very good athletic post. We do try to use that to our advantage when we can."
On the offensive end, Williams had 16 points and Fugate had 11. Most of both players' points came off of low post plays. And once they established the inside game, the rest of their teammates were able to get more open looks at the basket from three point range, and by getting open lanes for lay ups.
Ozark got off to a rough start, as they did not come out as sharp as they wanted. The Lady Tigers trailed by one at the end of the first quarter, but they were not fazed by the good early play of Nixa.
Nixa hurt themselves with turnovers, which helped Ozark get more confidence and momentum as the game went on.
As the game progressed, Ozark only continued to get better. Their defense in third quarter really turned the tide in favor of the Lady Tigers. Ozark outscored Nixa 14-8 in the quarter, which gave them a seven-point lead heading into the fourth.
The fourth quarter just reemphasized what Ozark had been wanting to do all night, run some clock, don't turn the ball over, and play solid on both ends of the court. Williams and Fugate helped their team finish off the game with a strong performance and confidence heading into Friday’s championship game against Glendale.
Scoring for Ozark: Melanie Williams 16, Jackie Fugate 11, Hannah Cook 8, Hailey Beard 7, Meleah Goodin 7, and Brooke Paulsell 5
Scoring for Nixa: Jessica Lessman 10, Rejeana Raper 10, Alexis Holt 7, Lauren Moats 7, Amanda Temple 3, Angela Allen 2, and Payton Klempel 2
