By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Ozark, Mo. — If you’re going to slay a giant, it helps to have a big stick.
Parkview’s Tyem Freeman erupted for 19 points in the fourth quarter to help propel the Vikings to a 76-74 upset over Ozark in the Class 5 District 11 semifinals Tuesday night.
One of the area’s most coveted prospects, the 6-foot-5 junior attacked the basket repeatedly in the final quarter, finishing with a game-high 34 points. Freeman was 10-for-19 from the field and 13-for-16 from the free throw line.
“Just be aggressive,” Freeman said. “That’s my motto. No matter what, just battle adversity and keep attacking the hole. Do whatever you can just to get the win, and that’s what we did.”
Down by 13 points heading into the fourth quarter, Parkview’s season was on the brink thanks to an all-too-familiar face.
Ozark’s Quinn Nelson closed out the third with 8-straight points to give the Tigers a 58-45 advantage and all the momentum in the world. The 6-foot-3 senior torched the Vikings for 27 points during a 64-34 rout during the regular season; however, on this night, Parkview was able to field a healthy lineup.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
“Earlier, we were without Dontae [Taylor], who’s our starting point guard and a really, really good player,” Vikings head coach Landon Cornish said. “Latre Morrison was hurt, and Damarcus Mason had an ankle injury in the third quarter. We kind of felt like they tried to kick us when we were down a little bit.”
Facing a sizeable deficit, Parkview became the aggressor and reeled off 9-straight points to start the fourth period.
Following a pair of Freeman baskets, senior Gage Clark buried a deep 3-pointer from the top of the key to cut the Ozark lead to four with just over five minutes to play.
“We have a little pressure on us,” Freeman said. “Coach got in the huddle and told us not to worry, because we’ve been in that position before with a lot of good players.”
Cornish credited his team’s growth and maturity throughout the season for its resilient nature on the biggest of stages — the Vikings poured in 31 points during the final frame, while holding Ozark to 16.
“Sometimes we have a tendency to duck our heads and let little runs become big runs,” Cornish said. “We didn’t do that. I felt a lot of growth from our team throughout the year. Earlier in the year, whenever Nelson hits those big shots in the third quarter, we probably wouldn’t have been able to fight back from that.”
Fight back they did, however, with Freeman completing the comeback with a thunderous transition dunk (video below) to give Parkview a 62-61 lead with 3:24 remaining.
Parkview’s Tyem Freeman stole the ball & finished with this thunderous dunk to give Parkview a 62-61 lead on Ozark on the way to an upset victory. @TyemFreeman @PHSVikingBBall pic.twitter.com/GNilAmgFrX
— Ozarks Sports Zone (@OzarksOzone) February 28, 2018
After a pair of free throws from junior Parker Ramsdell forced another lead change for Ozark, Parkview senior Daru Elliot connected on a go-ahead 3-pointer to give the Vikings the lead for good.
Free-throw shooting and defensive adjustments on Ozark’s scorers, Nelson in particular, helped secure Parkview’s frantic, fourth-quarter comeback.
The Vikings shot 8-for-12 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter and 18-for-23 for the game.
“We got good ball pressure,” Cornish said. “We got a lot of turnovers that we didn’t force the last time we played, and if you can turn them over before he gets a chance to shoot it, it makes your chance a lot better. He hit a couple of those running loose, and our game plan coming in was to switch out on shooters whenever he came out there and to really stay in his hip pocket.”
After the game, Ozark and head coach Mark Schweitzer discussed the loss.
“We played not-to-lose in the fourth quarter, and we weren’t as aggressive” Schweitzer said. “Hats off to Parkview. They picked up the pressure, and we got through a stretch where we lost our lead. Turnovers turned into points for them, and we didn’t rebound from it. They played loose with no fear, and they came out and earned their victory.”
Nelson led the Tigers with 28 points and was joined in double figures by Payton Nichols’ 15.
Ozark ends its season at 21-6.
Parkview’s victory marked No. 100 for Cornish, a milestone of which many of the players weren’t aware until after the game.
“I didn’t even know until I got in the locker room and congratulated him,” Freeman said. “This is probably one of the biggest games of his career, and I’m just happy I was a part of it.”
Parkview (16-10) now advances to the district championship match against Glendale (19-6) Thursday, March 1. The two teams met during the regular season, with the Falcons winning the Feb. 9 contest 77-68.
Varsity Final: Parkview – 76, Ozark – 74
Parkview 14 19 12 31 — 76
Ozark 20 17 21 16 — 74
Parkview scoring: Tyem Freeman – 34, Damarcus Mason – 11, Gage Clark – 10, Dontae Taylor – 9, Daru Elliot – 8, Latre Morrison – 4,
Ozark scoring: Quinn Nelson – 28, Payton Nichols – 15, Parker Hanks – 8, A.J. Elliott – 8, Curt Gracey – 5, Parker Ramsdell – 4, Caleb Holzer – 3, Peyton Skipworth – 3
