Charleston basketball coach B.J. Ross isn't afraid to take his team on the road. As a lower seed, no less.
But as long as there are games to be played, the Tigers' coach would like to win as many as possible. Charleston began a tough week Tuesday with a hard-fought 59-55 win over a good Ozark team.
Ross' son, Brayden, hit five first-half 3-pointers and finished with 19 points in the win. Teammate Jacob Green poured in 19 points as well as Charleston pushed its overall record to 10-4.
Charleston will host Booneville today, then travel to Subiaco Academy on Saturday to play the Trojans.
"We really need this week," Ross said. "This week we've got three in a row where, if they (opponents) come in and play well and we don't, then could 0-and-3. These aren't gimmes, especially on a one-day practice. We played Ozark, and then we come back Thursday and play a very physical game with Booneville, and then we have to go play Subi.
"This week forces us to play hard."
The Tigers get a 15-6 Booneville team that beat Ozark last week.
Clarksville
How was the drive from Clarksville to Harrison on Tuesday night? It took more than seven hours to drive to and from Harrison, and less than two hours to play two games.
Welcome to the 5A-West.
Because of icy, winter weather, Clarksville officials took the long route to Harrison — I-40 to Alma, then I-49 to Springdale before jumping on Hwy. 412. The trip took three hours and twenty-five minutes each way, Clarksville boys coach Tony Davis said.
The Panthers lost to Harrison, 59-41, despite 18 points from Bob Hurley and 16 more from Trace Thomas.
The tough part, Davis said, was that the Clarksville bus had mechanical problems on the trip home. Players, coaches and managers didn't make it back to Johnson County until midnight.
Ozark
Time to panic? Not even close.
Ozark's Ethan Masingale was at it again Tuesday in Charleston, pouring in 28 points and connecting on six of the Hillbillies' 12 3-pointers.
But an 11-point first half deficit proved too much to overcome as the Hillbillies suffered a 59-55 loss, the team's third loss since Dec. 30.
This time a year ago, Ozark (15-3) was in the midst of a huge January run before losing in the first round of the district tournament and failing to compete at the regional tournament. Coach Brad West knows there is plenty of offensive firepower and time to get clicking.
After all, Ozark's two losses to Booneville and Charleston were by a combined total of 10 points.
Lavaca
The Lavaca Golden Arrows are rocking along at 16-5 and in good shape heading into the district tournament.
Despite a stinging 58-26 loss to County Line Tuesday, the Golden Arrows hope to regroup tonight against Union Christian. It's been a big season for seniors Garrett Eck, Ryan Dockery, Levi Simpson and Chance Walker. The foursome hope to build on last season's state playoff run.
"They're a special group," Lavaca coach Renner Reed said. "They all like each other; they're all good kids off the court. They're very coachable, and on top of that they're very skilled basketball players."
Booneville
The Booneville Bearcats are playing as well as they have all season. Despite a nonconference loss to Dumas last week, the Bearcats beat a good Ozark team last week and then took care of the Paris Eagles Tuesday, 62-44.
Logan Bradley and Blakley Cobb each had 10 rebounds in the victory, with Bradley hitting for 20 points and Cobb adding 15.
Nate Riley and Camryn Lawson had seven and four assists, apiece, for the winners.
Waldron
Waldron sophomore Payton Brown went for 29 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 59-58 loss to Cedarville. Brown hit six more 3-pointers in the loss and surpassed the 500-point club for the season.
Through 17 games, Brown has scored 521 points and is averaging 30.6 points per game. The Bulldogs travel to Mansfield on Friday.
County Line
They're back! Actually, the Indians never left.
Since losing to Ozark (46-45) in the finals of the Bank of the Ozark Classic, coach Joe Brunson's squad has reeled off wins by 54, 37 and 32 points.
The Tribe (25-2) will host Hackett on Friday.