SPRINGFIELD — Ozark’s hot shooting at the Blue & Gold Tournament cooled dramatically at the worst possible time for the Tigers.
After shooting at a 56-percent clip through three quarters Wednesday, Ozark’s accuracy dipped to 23 percent in the fourth quarter of the Tigers’ 66-63 Gold Division second-round loss to Branson.
The Tigers' demise saw them score just 10 points over the final eight minutes, halting Ozark's winning streak against the Pirates at nine.
“We definitely looked timid,” guard Hudson Roberts said.
Ozark went from making good on 18-of-32 field-goal attempts in the first three quarters to making just 3-of-13 shots in the final quarter. Initially, the Tigers picked up where they left off Tuesday, when they shot 65 percent in their first-round win versus Clever.
Ozark’s failures down the stretch included missing three point-blank, wide-open layups. The Tigers also had a lane violation at the start of the fourth quarter that wiped out a made free throw. They surely could have used that point later.
“We made a lot of mistakes, more than just not executing plays,” coach Mark Schweitzer said. “We made too many mistakes in big moments, It was up and down the line, we can point to a lot of them in which we didn't make the right play.”
Ozark blew a 54-47 lead.
“We couldn't finish (offensively) and couldn't get stops on defense,” guard Phin Scott said.
Scott turned in his best game to date by scoring 14 points. He had a steal, a layup and a 3-pointer in the final minute.
“I knew Hudson (Roberts) and Kylan (Pickren) would be covered, so someone would have to step up and it ended up being me,” Scott said.
“Phin did a great job stepping up and not being afraid of the moment," Schweitzer said. “His play is warranting more minutes, which he is being rewarded with.”
“I'm proud of Phin and the way he performed,” Roberts said. “He can be such a great boost to our team.”
It was a rare game under 20 points for Roberts, as he was limited to 12 points. The Tigers struggled getting the ball in his hands, with Branson often emoplying face-guarding tactics.
“They were in deny defense, trying to take me away and make everybody else beat them,” Roberts said. “I was trying to play patient, not force anything and let my teammates get going. But that's no excuse for us losing or me not having a great performance.”
“They were pretty tight on (Roberts) and sagging in on the post,” Schweitzer said. “They were trying to make other people beat them.”
Last season, Roberts beat Branson with a game-winning jumper at the end of overtime. He didn't have the chance to make a 3 to tie near the end of regulation, as the Pirates purposely fouled him with :04 remaining.
Ozark's frustrations continued after the game. A Great Southern Bank Arena female cleaning crew worker walked into the Tigers' locker room, without receiving any approval to enter, as a handful of players were still dressing. As she exited, she made a snide remark to Schweitzer.
"There's no reason to be rude," Schweitzer calmly told her.
"It's been a long day," the worker replied, without adding any sort of apology.
"It's been a long day for all of us," Schweitzer responded.
The Tigers (3-7) will face a former junior high teammate in Strafford guard Cody Voysey in a consolation game at 2 p.m. Thursday.
“It's not very fun right now,” Schweitzer said. “But we’ve got to pick ourselves up and get a win so we get a fourth game in this tournament.”
