Springfield Central, Ozark, Republic, and Rolla were winners on Day 1. Here are the recaps.
Central 103, West Memphis 53
Central dominated West Memphis 103-53 in the tournament opener Thursday. The Bulldogs raced to a 35-11 first-quarter lead and extended it to 58-21 by halftime.
Keion Epps led Central with 30 points. Bryce Walker added 20 and Jordan Pittman scored 17. Dayton Huskey contributed 10. For West Memphis, Daryan Selvy Jr. scored 18, Kingston Rottinghaus added 11, and Tim Bates III finished with 10.
The win was Central’s first of the season. West Memphis fell to 5-3.
Ozark 83, Liberty 78
Ozark built a big lead and held off Liberty 83-78. The Tigers used an 11-0 first-quarter run to take control early. Liberty rallied in the fourth quarter after trailing 59-47 through three periods, cutting the deficit to six before Ozark secured the win.
Kylan Pickren led Ozark with 30 points. Hudson Roberts scored 20 and Jack Berryman added 14. Howard Chase paced Liberty with 25 points, while Kale Mortimer scored 23 and Luke Maher added 19.
Ozark advanced to face Central at 8:30 p.m. Friday.
Republic 50, Capital City 47
Republic overcame a fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Capital City 50-47. Brenley Hagewood sparked the Tigers early with 15 first-half points, but foul trouble allowed the Cavaliers back into the game.
The Tigers led 25-22 at halftime and 37-36 after three quarters. Capital City opened the fourth with seven straight points before Republic responded with a 5-0 run to retake control.
Hagewood finished with 23 points and Keiran Govan added 11 for Republic. Grady Payton led Capital City with 19 while Francis Samuel scored 14.
Rolla 54, Park Hill South 52
Rolla held off Park Hill South 54-52 in the nightcap. The Bulldogs led 13-7 after one quarter and maintained a five-point cushion through three periods at 39-34.
The Panthers twice tied the game late at 50-50 and 52-52. After Rolla’s go-ahead basket, Gerard Hinson’s final shot missed at the buzzer.
Hinson led all scorers with 24 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter. Ethan Brown paced Rolla with 20 points and Cooper Gideon added 13.
Rolla improved to 2-0 while Park Hill South dropped its season opener.
