Jordyn Foley has become the face of Ozark girls athletics this school year, while appearing the same whether things are going well for her and the Lady Tigers or not.
Foley’s focus and composure have become a constant, no matter the setting or stage.
She handled post-season pressure on the hardwood Thursday as well as she did in the center circle on the ball diamond last fall when she led Ozark’s softball team to a District championship.
The senior shooting guard provided a steady hand during her 19-point performance that led the Lady Tigers to a 50-42 Class 6 District 5 first-round win against Glendale.
“Treat it as a normal game,” Foley said about her approach to Districts. “I don't get anxious. I'm pretty calm always.”
“You never know if she is excited or upset. She keeps her composure the whole time,” Ozark coach Brandon Clift said. “There’s never any change in emotion. You get on her and she responds with her play. It's a testament to who she is. You see it on the softball field, as well.”
In a similar manner to how Foley handles a jam with runners in scoring position, she responded to a late Glendale comeback with the same cool demeanor.
“I think it's just my personality that if something isn't working, I think it will get better,” Foley said.
Following Foley’s lead, the Lady Tigers weren’t rattled and things did get better for them. After Glendale cut what had been a 16-point Ozark lead, 35-19, to a three-point edge, 40-37, the Lady Tigers answered with a 10-0 run to clinch the outcome.
“We didn't collapse under the pressure. Our kids held their composure and pulled away,” Clift said. “We were built for that moment. We were ready to handle it.”
Glendale can attest to Foley’s steadiness. She had 18 points in the teams’ regular-season matchup, a Lady Falcons 53-49 win in triple overtime in the Bolivar Tournament championship game.
Otherwise, there were more differences than similarities in the teams’ two games.
“I was not in foul trouble this time,” Ozark center Alexis Soloman said. “I got in foul trouble in the first half the first time we played them. I had two fouls in the first two minutes of the first quarter and basically didn't play the first half.”
There was more Ozark offense the second time around.
Ozark started Thursday by making its fist four 3-point attempts. The Lady Tigers finished 9-of-21 from 3-point land, with Foley making four treys, Macey Sult three and Cadence Kirkland two.
Ozark showed just enough balance, recording 18 points in the paint. Soloman scored eight points.
“I thought our kids' patience with the basketball and shot-selection was fantastic,” Clift said. “We shared the ball extremely well. We were getting good looks from the perimeter. When we would go inside, our kids were not intimidated by their size. We attacked the post pretty well. They have a lot of height. We wanted to make sure when we went inside, we went in to score and not worry about getting our shot blocked.”
Glendale scored 26 points in the paint, but wasn’t as dominant under the bucket at the Lady Falcons could have been, given their height advantage.
“There were three of them that are pretty tall,” Soloman said. “I treated them the same by getting a hand up and contesting their shots.”
Ozark (15-12) advances to meet Republic (24-3) at 6 p.m. Saturday in a semifinal. Republic won their regular-season matchup 46-44 two weeks ago.
“It's a challenge we're looking forward to,” Clift said.
“I'm excited to play them again,” Foley said. “Hopefully, we can get revenge.”
Ozark 50, Glendale 42
OZARK (50) — Soloman 3 2-3 8, Sult 3 0-0 9, Rushing 1 2-2 4, Foley 7 1-1 19, Hampton 2 0-1 4, Kirkland 2 0-0 6.
GLENDALE (42) — Benciek 1 2-3 5, Givens 1 4-4 6, Hemen 10 0-0 20, Kendall 1 0-0 2, Zingg 1 0-0 2, Flewell 2 0-0 4, Burke 1 0-0 3.
Ozark 13 14 10 13 - 50
Glendale 7 10 16 9 - 42
3-point goals - Foley 4, Sult 3, Kirkland 2, Burke.
