OZARK --It's been a long journey to get back on the basketball court, but Ozark senior Hannah Ladd is glad to be back making an impact for the Lady Hillbillies.
"This season has meant the world to me," Ladd said. "We've been coming out and taking every game one at a time. It's been a big part of our success along with the love of the game from all of us."
While on the road to returning, Ladd had just one goal: Joining her teammates in a quest for a state title.
"When I was going through the whole process, the only thing on my mind was trying to get back to my girls," Ladd said. "I told myself I got to get back. We were here to play together and to have a shot at getting rings."
Fellow senior starters Ariel Walker, Lauren Lane and Meagan Harris are glad to have Ladd back healthy for one last year.
"This senior class has played basketball pretty much our whole lives together," Harris said. "Hannah came in our middle school years. We took her in and it was like she had been playing with us from the start. We have a lot of chemistry together."
Ladd's return has created a dynamic scoring duo along with Walker, who led the team in points a season ago.
"It's been nice having her back," Walker said. "She is a big part of this team and what we are and do here. We've gotten to play with her a lot this season and have gotten back into it. We are just doing what we do."
Lane and Harris have come up big as well scoring when they have been needed most when defenses focus their attention on Ladd and Walker.
Lane scored 19 points in a recent victory on the road against Waldron. Harris stepped up scoring 20 points in the first game of the season against Lavaca.
Kayla Barnett has played well in an expanded role as a starter in her junior year, providing defense and helping control the offense as a guard.
"That's what a basketball team is everybody playing together to make a great team," Ozark coach Bret Nagel said. "If you have one great player and four below average players, you can just key on that one player. This team has options."
Nagel said he wasn't sure how quick his team would come together as a unit with a lot of moving parts despite the success of last season's team that advanced to the quarterfinals of the Class 4A state tournament.
It has worked out just fine so far for Ozark.
Lane and Harris had key roles last year off the bench but now have played key minutes as senior starters. The team also had to work in Ladd once she rejoined the team.
Ozark's large junior class has made an impact as well with Barnett starting, while Anna Grace Gibbons, Savanna Schaffer, Lauren Nagel and Monica Chancey all have played off the bench.
"It's been exciting. We've played as a team, which has made it fun," Lane said. "If we work together, we get the job done."
It's been a special year so far for Ozark but making a deep run to close out the season strong will be the goal now, amd Ladd is glad to finally be a part of the quest.
Sports on 02/12/2018
Ladd, who missed the last two seasons because of injuries, has made the most of her final season. She has reemerged as a key versatile scorer for Ozark, the last remaining undefeated girls team in the state after Friday's 54-19 win against Charleston that bumped the Lady Hillbillies' record to 23-0.
Conference Tournament Pairings
4A-1 Conference
At Lincoln
Girls
Tuesday
Game 1 No. 1 Berryville vs. No. 8 Shiloh Christian, 4 p.m.
Game 2 No. 2 Gravette vs. No. 7 Pea Ridge, 7 p.m.
Wednesday
Game 3 No. 3 Gentry vs. No. 6 Huntsville, 4 p.m.
Game 4 No. 4 Prairie Grove vs. No. 5 Lincoln, 7 p.m.
Friday
Game 5 Winner Game 1 vs, Winner Game 4, 4 p.m.
Game 6 Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3, 7 p.m.
Saturday
Game 7 Third-place game, 4 p.m.
Game 8 Championship game, 7 p.m.
Boys
Tuesday
Game 1 No. 1 Pea Ridge vs. No. 8 Gentry, 5:30 p.m.
Game 3 No. 2 Gravette vs. No. 7 Lincoln, 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday
Game 2 No. 4 Prairie Grove vs. No. 5 Shiloh Christian, 8:30 p.m.
Game 4 No. 3 Berryville vs. No. 6 Huntsville, 5:30 p.m.
Friday
Game 5 Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 3, 5:30 p.m.
Game 6 Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 4, 8:30 p.m.
Saturday
Game 7 Third-place game, 5:30 p.m.
Game 8 Championship game, 8:30 p.m.
4A-4 Conference
At Pottsville
Girls
Monday
Game 1 No. 2 Pottsville vs. No. 7 Waldron, 6:20 p.m.
Tuesday
Game 2 No. 3 Dardanelle vs. No. 6 Booneville, 4 p.m.
Game 3 No. 4 West Fork vs. No. 5 Dover, 6:40 p.m.
Thursday
Game 4 No. 1 Ozark vs. Winner Game 3, 4 p.m.
Game 5 Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 6:40 p.m.
Saturday
Game 6 Third-place game, 2 p.m.
Game 7 Championship game, 6 p.m.
Boys
Monday
Game 1 No. 1 Pottsville vs. No. 8 Waldron, 5 p.m.
Game 2 No. 2 Ozark vs. No. 7 Dover, 7:40 p.m.
Tuesday
Game 3 No. 3 Subiaco Academy vs. No. 6 Dardanelle, 5:20 p.m.
Game 4 No. 4 Booneville vs. No. 5 West Fork, 8 p.m.
Thursday
Game 5 Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 4, 5:20 p.m.
Game 6 Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3, 8 p.m.
Saturday
Game 7 Third-place game, 3:30 p.m.
Game 8 Championship game, 7:30 p.m.
3A-1 West Conference
At Greenland
Girls
Today
Game 1 Cedarville vs. Haas Hall, 4 p.m.
Game 2 Greenland vs. Mansfield, 6:40 .m.
Wednesday
Game 3 Elkins vs. Winner Game 1, 4 p.m.
Game 4 Charleston vs. Winner Game 2, 6:40 p.m.
Thursday
Game 5 Third-place game, 4 p.m.
Game 6 Championship game, 6:40 p.m.
Boys
Today
Game 1 Cedarville vs. Haas Hall, 5:20 p.m.
Game 2 Greenland vs. Mansfield, 8 p.m.
Tuesday
Game 3 Elkins vs. Winner Game 1, 5:20 p.m.
Game 4 Charleston vs. Winner Game 2, 8 p.m.
Thursday
Game 5 Third-place game, 5:20 p.m.
Game 6 Championship game, 8 p.m.
3A-1 East Conference
At Valley Springs
Girls
Today
Game 1 No. 1 Mountain View vs. No. 8 Yellville-Summit, 4 p.m.
Game 2 No. 4 Bergman vs. No. 5 Marshall, 7 p.m.
Tuesday
Game 3 No. 2 Melbourne vs. No. 7 Green Forest, 4 p.m.
Game 4 No. 3 Valley Springs vs. No. 6 Clinton, 7 p.m.
Thursday
Game 5 Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 4 p.m.
Game 6 Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 7 p.m.
Saturday
Game 7 Championship game, 6 p.m.
Boys
Today
Game 1 No. 1 Clinton vs. No. 8 Green Forest, 5:30 p.m.
Game 2 No. 2 Valley Springs vs. No. 7 Bergman, 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday
Game 3 No. 4 Melbourne vs. No. 5 Marshall, 5:30 p.m.
Game 4 No. 3 Yellville-Summit vs. No. 6 Mountain View, 8:30 p.m.
Thursday
Game 5 Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 3, 5:30 p.m.
Game 6 Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 4, 8:30 p.m.
Saturday
Game 7 Championship game, 7:30 p.m.
3A-4 Conference
At Perryville
Girls
Tuesday
Game 1 Perryville vs. Atkins, 4 p.m.
Game 2 Jessieville vs. Paris, 7 p.m.
Thursday
Game 3 Lamar vs. Winner Game 2, 4 p.m.
Game 4 Two Rivers vs. Winner Game 1, 7 p.m.
Friday
Game 5 Third-place game, 4 p.m.
Game 6 Championship game, 7 p.m.
Boys
Tuesday
Game 1 Two Rivers vs. Atkins, 5:30 p.m.
Game 2 Lamar vs. Paris, 8:30 p.m.
Thursday
Game 3 Jessieville vs. Winner Game 2, 5:30 p.m.
Game 4 Perryville vs. Winner Game 1, 8:30 p.m.
Friday’s games
Game 5 Third-place game, 5:30 p.m.
Game 6 Championship game, 8:30 p.m.
2A-4 Conference
At Johnson County Westside
Girls
Tuesday
Game 1 No. 6 Magazine vs. No. 7 Eureka Springs, 5 p.m.
Wednesday
Game 2 No. 4 Mountainburg vs. No. 5 Danville, 4 p.m.
Game 3 No. 3 JC Westside vs. Winner Game 1, 7 p.m.
Thursday
Game 4 No. 1 Lavaca vs. Winner Game 2, 4 p.m.
Game 5 No. 2 Hackett vs. Winner Game 3, 7 p.m.
Saturday
Game 6 Third-place game, 3 p.m.
Game 7 Championship game, 6 p.m.
Boys
Tuesday
Game 1 No. 6 Hackett vs. No. 7 JC Westside, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday
Game 2 No. 4 Magazine vs. No. 5 Mountainburg, 5:30 p.m.
Game 3 No. 3 Danville vs. Winner Game 1, 8:30 p.m.
Thursday
Game 4 No. 1 Lavaca vs. Winner Game 2, 5:30 p.m.
Game 5 No. 2 Eureka Springs vs. Winner Game 3, 8:30 p.m.
Saturday
Game 6 Third-place game, 4:30 p.m.
Game 7 Championship game, 7:30 p.m.
1A-1 Northwest Conference
At Alpena
Girls
Monday
Game 1 No. 4 Lead Hill vs. No. 5 Decatur, 6 p.m.
Tuesday
Game 2 No. 1 Kingston vs. Winner Game 1, 4 p.m.
Game 3 No. 2 Omaha vs. No. 3 Alpena, 6:30 p.m.
Friday
Game 4 Championship game, 6 p.m.
Boys
Monday
Game 1 No. 4 Decatur vs. No. 5 Lead Hill, 7:15 p.m.
Tuesday
Game 2 No. 1 Omaha vs. Winner Game 1, 5:15 p.m.
Game 3 No. 2 Kingston vs. No. 3 Alpena, 7:45 p.m.
Friday
Game 4 Championship game, 7:15 p.m.
1A-1 East Conference
At North Arkansas College, Harrison
Girls
Monday
Game 1 No. 3 Western Grove vs. No. 6 Mount Judea, 4:45 p.m.
Game 2 No. 4 Deer vs. No. 5 Bruno-Pyatt, 7:15 p.m.
Tuesday
Game 3 Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 6 p.m.
Wednesday
Game 4 No. 2 St. Joe vs. Winner Game 3, 6 p.m.
Friday
Game 5 Championship No. 1 Jasper vs. Winner Game 4, 6 p.m.
Boys
Monday
Game 1 No. 3 Jasper vs. No. 6 St. Joe, 6 p.m.
Game 2 No. 4 Mount Judea vs. No. 5 Bruno-Pyatt, 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday
Game 3 Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 7:15 p.m.
Wednesday
Game 4 No. 2 Western Grove vs. Winner Game 3, 7:15 p.m.
Friday
Game 5 Championship No. 1 Deer vs. Winner Game 4, 7:15 p.m.
1A-1 West Conference
at St. Paul
Girls
Today
Game 1 No. 2 Scranton vs. No. 7 Hartford, 4 p.m.
Game 2 No. 3 Western Yell County vs. No. 6 Mulberry, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday
Game 3 No. 4 St. Paul vs. No. 5 Oark, 4 p.m.
Thursday
Game 4 No. 1 County Line vs. Winner Game 3, 4 p.m.
Game 5 Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 6:30 p.m.
Friday
Game 6 Third-place game, 4 p.m.
Game 7 Championship game, 6:30 p.m.
Boys
Today
Game 1 No. 2 Scranton vs. No. 7 Oark, 5:15 p.m.
Game 2 No. 3 Mulberry vs. No. 6 Western Yell County, 7:45 p.m.
Tuesday
Game 3 No. 4 St. Paul vs. No. 5 Hartford, 5:15 p.m.
Thursday
Game 4 No. 1 County Line vs. Winner Game 3, 5:15 p.m.
Game 5 Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 7:45 p.m.
Friday
Game 6 Third-place game, 5:15 p.m.
Game 7 Championship game, 7:45 p.m.