Even as Ozark’s lone veteran entering this season, Jace Whatley found himself prone to allowing the game to speed himself up while enduring a subpar start to his junior year.
Whatley’s timing has improved in the new year and was practically perfect in Ozark’s 60-47 victory versus Republic on Tuesday.
Whatley recorded a game-high 21 points and played at a point-a-minute pace for a good while. He triggered Ozark’s upset by scoring 19 points over the game’s first 19 minutes. He nearly had played even-up with Republic at that juncture, as Ozark enjoyed a 15-1 run en route to a 44-21 lead.
“Tonight, he was composed,” coach Mark Schweitzer said. “He didn't look like he was in a hurry, but wasn't going too slow, either. He looked comfortable.”
“I've slowed down, focused on the goal and it’s made things a lot easier,” Whatley agreed.
When Whatley was rushing himself, he often was overly concerned about his shot being blocked and would either release the ball too fast or lean to his left or right and essentially alter his own shot by forcing himself to take an off-balanced attempt.
Whatley and Schweitzer addressed the issue a couple weeks ago.
“Since then, I'm not so focused on the person trying to block my shot as I am just trying to make the layup,” Whatley said. “It paid off tonight.”
“When he's balanced, he's a lot more efficient," Schweitzer said. “He's made strides all year at trying to be more balanced. I'm happy for him to have such a big game. He plays with the weight of the world on his shoulders sometimes. I'm glad to see him break through and play up to his standards because he has very high standards for himself. He led the charge tonight and we rode him.”
"I didn't want to carry this team. I trust my teammates," Whatley said of pressure he puts on himself. "But at the same time I know I have a job to do and I've got to score around the rim. When that doesn't happen, I feel like I'm letting my team down."
Whatley passed the ultimate test Tuesday by having a shot blocked, but continuing to score. He finished 8-of-15 from the field and played a big factor in Ozark having a monster night on the offensive boards.
“Jace looked as good as I've seen him look all year,” guard Ethan Sutherland said. “I noticed a big difference in him. I've been trying to get him calmed down because he gets frustrated in himself. If he can stay calm, he can do whatever he wants in the paint.”
Led by Whatley and guard Garrett Ballard, Ozark collected 10 offensive rebounds and outrebounded Republic 31-24. Ballard had eight rebounds, while Whatley and Cohen George both had seven.
“It helps when you have 6-9 (George) and 6-6 (Whatley) out there and a very athletic Ballard, who has been rebounding great,” Schweitzer said.
Ozark taking advantage of mismatches in the paint heightened the absence of Republic center Khamari Edwards. He did not play and also wasn’t suited up.
“I didn't know he wasn’t here until the National Anthem when I looked over and didn't see him,,” Whatley said. “I knew I could take all of them in the paint. With me and Cohen, we knew we could work on them in the post.”
“That's a big miss for them,” Schweitzer said of Edwards. “He does a lot for them. I can't control whether they're missing a kid or not. We'll play whoever they got. We do know they're better with Khamari in there.”
One matchup that didn’t disappoint was the duel between two of the COC’s brightest young stars in sophomores Hudson Roberts, of Ozark, and Brenley, Hagewood, of Republic.
Roberts scored 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field, while Hagewood also had 15 on 7-of-15 shooting.
At point guard, Sutherland held his own against Republic’s Ahlante Askew.
Sutherland committed just one turnover all night. Also, he hounded Askew while holding him to five points in the first half, when the game was all but decided. Askew finished with 18 points.
Ozark was guilty of just two turnovers in its 39-point first half, with one giveaway being the result of an offensive foul.
Schweitzer was so pleased with his starting five that he didn’t make his first substitution until the 1:31 mark of the second quarter.
“We ran our offense perfectly,” Sutherland said. “We executed everything.”
“I can't say enough about how well our kids played in the first half,” Schweitzer said. “We did a great job executing on offense, getting a quality shot up each time down court in the first half.”
Republic (20-3 overall and 4-2 in the COC) pulled no closer of the lead than 10 points.
Ozark (10-13 and 3-3) has won four straight against Republic over three seasons, but no doubt was the underdog.
“We don't have the greatest record and everybody knows that. Every team comes in here and thinks, 'Oh, we're going to beat them,’” Sutherland said. “Even at our school, nobody thought we were going to win tonight. We proved them all wrong and honestly, we proved something to ourselves, too.”
“After this win, we feel we can take on anyone in the COC,” Whatley said.
Just as Whatley’s timing was right Tuesday, perhaps Ozark’s time to peak couldn’t be better, as well, with Districts on the horizon.
“This was a complete game. It’s one of the first complete games our kids have put together," Schweitzer said. "It's coming at a great time.”
Ozark 60, Republic 47
REPUBLIC (47) — Ellison 1 0-0 2, Hagewood 7 1-2 15, Douglas 1 0-0 3, Askew 6 6-8 18, Rexroat 3 0-0 7, Ebisch 0 2-2 2.
OZARK (60) — Ballard 3 2-2 9, Whatley 8 4-8 21, George 2 0-0 5, Roberts 5 4-6 15, Sutherland 2 4-4 8, Scott 0 2-2.
Republic 11 10 12 14 - 47
Ozark 18 21 11 10 - 60
3-point goals - Ballard, Whatley, George, Roberts, Rexroat, Douglas.
