The Branson Lady Pirates went on the road last night and for the second Monday in a row and took down a Conference powerhouse on their home court. Ozark was the victim this time. 54-51 was the final as Branson won its 20th game of the season and keeps its hopes for a shared COC title alive.
The game was close most of the night. However, except for a brief period in the first quarter Branson had the lead throughout. Ozark tried to take away Amanda Kearney by changing defenses and changing defenders on her. From straight Man to a box and one Kearney had to work to get any room at all. She ended the night with 17 points. Freshman Madie Braden led Ozark with 18.
Branson got huge contributions up and down the lineup. Lauren Garrison had 16 and had a number of key steals along the way. Gracie Jaeger scored six but her half-court three pointer at the end of the first quarter was huge for momentum. Her hustle and defense was obvious throughout the night. I could go on, it was truly a team effort.
In the last week and a half the Lady Pirates have beaten St Joe Benton on a neutral court. They have won AT Republic. And now, they have won AT OZARK. They will still need a little help to get a share of the COC Title. They will need Ozark to beat Republic next week, a real possibility. And they need Neosho to upset Carl Junction, a much longer shot.
Most importantly, Branson really seems to be playing their best basketball at the moment. District seedings are on Wednesday. With the win over Ozark, Branson should be no worse than a #2 seed. But, with the fact the Branson and Kickapoo have almost identical records and the fact that Ozark beat Kickapoo AT Kickapoo while Branson beat the Lady Tigers in Ozark; one would think that Coach Kip Bough will have legitimate argument for the top spot. We will see how it turns out.
