OFC: Twin Rivers and Neelyville thrives in first round

DONIPHAN — The Neelyville High School Lady Tigers turned forced turnovers into a first-round win.

The No.3 Lady Tigers went head-to-head with the No. 5 seed Naylor Lady Eagles in the annual Ozark Foothills Conference basketball tournament on Saturday at Doniphan High School.

The Neelyville Lady Tigers didn’t have to break a sweat as they pulled away early to capture a strong 64-16 win over the Lady Eagles.

The Lady Tigres had some ups and downs this season, but they’ve managed to find a solid stride in their most recent games. They improved to 10-7 on the season and picked up their fifth straight win.

After getting a big win over Naylor earlier in the season, the momentum heading into the contest was at its highest.

Execution was the key for the Lady Tigers as they picked up an early lead against the Lady Eagles. They came out with a burst of energy to go on a 25-6 run in the first quarter. As Naylor attempted to find a rhythm, the Lady Tigers made it difficult with their hard-nosed defense and quick hands.

With their successful attacks at the rim, the Lady Tigers created enough cushion for an easy route to the OFC semifinals.

Sophomore Parker Ernst led the Lady Tigers with 16 points, while Addison Couch and Jade Crosswhite both added with nine. Chole Mitchell led Naylor with six, and Ella Cannon and Olivia Mullins had three.

The Lady Tigers will matchup against the East Carter Lady Redbirds (19-2) on Monday at Doniphan High School at 8:30 p.m.

LADY ROYALS 44, LADY BEARS 31

After coming into the OFC tournament on a four-game losing skid, the Lady Royals finally get back on the winning side.

The No. 4 seed Twin Rivers Lady Royals took on the No. 5 Greenville Lady Bears for a spot in the OFC semifinals. After a back-and-forth matchup, the Lady Royals walked away with a 43-31 win over the Lady Bears.

Twin Rivers coach Michael Snider believes his team is constantly improving and hopes it can continue after this win.

“It’s been a rough stretch, but we’re feeling good,” Snider said. “We played them about three weeks ago, and it was a really close game, so it was actually a really good showing for us. I feel like we're consistently getting better and we're playing decently and I just want to keep continuing that trend. I want to keep getting better and better as the year goes on and, hopefully, we’ll play well. That's all we can ask for and all we can hope for. The girls did a really good job tonight.”

The Lady Royals came out hot with a trio of threes to pull away early. They finished the first quarter on a 16-4 run to set the tone for the rest of the game. Ball movement was the key ingredient to capturing easy baskets for the Lady Royals.

Heading into the second quarter, Greenville was forced to change their defensive scheme as the Lady Royals stayed consistent with landing shots from beyond the arc. Though the Lady Royals held a 29-13 lead at halftime, the Lady Bears had a chance to regroup and came back out with a more steady flow within their offense.

Greenville quickly made a run midway through the third to cut the lead within 10, but whenever they saw an opening to snatch it away, the Lady Royals responded with baskets of their own.

Both teams got another spark with trading baskets in the fourth, and with the constant shots from the Lady Royals, Greenville's chances of making a comeback slowly disappeared.

Reese Crismon led the Lady Royals with 14 points, Maci Hockersmith had nine and Amelia Douglas and Raegan Null both had six.

Ashlyn West led Greenville with nine, Ella Walk had eight and Kayla Hill and Jenna Marler both had three.

The Lady Royals will matchup against the undefeated Doniphan Donettes (19-0) on Monday at Doniphan High School at 7 p.m.

The last time the Lady Royals played Doniphan, Snider said he thought their effort and energy were good, but they couldn't get anything to go their way.

“I think if we we continue that trend of playing hard, if we continue to have that, I think good things will eventually happen for us. “I'm just looking for us to have a better game, better showing and hopefully, you know, make it a game.”