Tasha Lord hit a pair of pressure packed free throws with 0.8 seconds remaining in the Missouri State High School Activities Association Class 5 Sectional, sending Waynesville’s Lady Tigers past Ozark 51-50 on Wednesday, Feb. 27, at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar.

Waynesville improved to 20-7 on the season and advanced to the Class 5 quarterfinals in Rolla on Saturday. The Ozark Lady Tigers finished the season with a record of 23-6.

The free throws with less than a second to play helped Waynesville overcome a heroic effort by Ozark, including a 3-point shot by Khyrstyn Brumley with 12.2 seconds remaining in the game which put Ozark on top 50-49.

Khyrstyn Brumley also scored after an offensive rebound to tie the game at 47-47 with just 40 seconds to play.

Tasha Lord hit a pair of free throws with 31.6 seconds remaining to put Waynesville in front 49-47.

Khyrstyn Brumley’s trey which put Ozark in front 50-49 with 12.2 seconds to play was her third trey of the game.

After Waynesville called time out, they put the ball in the hands of leading scorer Katie Pritchard. Pritchard drove down the lane, and was double-teamed by Ozark’s Bri Anton and Courtney Gimlin, a defensive trap which caused Pritchard to fall. But she managed to guide the ball outside to teammate Erica Combs. Combs missed a 15-foot shot as the clock was winding down. Tasha Lord wound up with the rebound directly under the basket. She tried a shot which missed. That’s when the official’s whistle stopped play with 0.8 seconds on the clock, and the call gave Lord the opportunity for the game-winning free throws, which she hit, after a final Ozark time out.

Courtney Gimlin led Ozark scoring in the game with 17 points, including 10 in the final period. Gimlin also finished with 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

Khyrstyn Brumley scored 13 points in the game, hitting 5-of-7 field goals, including 3-of-4 free throws for Ozark. Brumley also had a team-high 9 rebounds with 2 steals, an assist and a blocked shot.

Bri Anton was the third Ozark player to score in double figures, finishing the game with 10 points, 3 rebounds, an assist and a blocked shot.

Kayla Carson just missed double figures, scoring 8 points for Ozark with 2 assists, a rebound, a steal and a blocked shot in the game.

Hannah Gomez added 2 points and 2 rebounds to the Ozark effort.

Shelby Romines had a steal and a rebound, and Kara Dickemann had a rebound for Ozark in the game.

Katie Pritchard led the Waynesville scoring with 16 points, hitting 7-of-11 field goals in the game, including the only trey Waynesville hit. Pritchard also had 5 rebounds, a steal and an assist.

Tasha Lord finished with 15 points in the game, hitting 5-of-6 free throws, including 4 pressure packed charity tosses in the last 31.6 seconds of the game – including the decisive pair with less than a second to go. Lord also had 2 rebounds and an assist.

Simone Sullivan scored 13 points for Waynesville with 2 rebounds in the game, hitting 5-of-6 field goals and both free throws she tried in the second half.

Orielle Thomas scored 5 points for the winners with a team-high 9 rebounds and 2 steals in the game.

Erica Combs added 2 points, a rebound and a steal to the winning attack.

In the hard-fought sectional contest, Ozark held a slim 10-8 lead after one period. Kayla Carson hit a trey and scored 5 points, and Bri Anton also knocked down a trey for Ozark in the opening stanza.

Ozark extended the lead to 20-16 by halftime. Courtney Gimlin scored 5 points, hitting a trey, and Khyrstyn Brumley hit a trey for Ozark in the second period.

Waynesville hit the first 2 shots of the second half, tying the score at 20-20, but Ozark responded with a 12-3 run to take a 32-23 lead half way through the third period. Gimlin hit a basket, Hannah Gomez knocked down 2 free throws, Brumley hit a trey, Anton hit a pair of free throws and Carson hit a trey for Ozark during the run.

Waynesville started chipping away at the lead with baskets inside by Simone Sullivan and outside by Katie Pritchard. Ozark led 35-31 starting the final period.

Waynesville started the final period with a 6-0 run which put them on top 37-35 with 5:25 to play. A basket by Gimlin tied the score with 4:45 to go, but a free throw by Orielle Thomas put Waynesville back on top 38-37 with 4:27 remaining.

Gimlin scored again with 4:04 to go, giving Ozark a 40-38 lead.

Pritchard converted a basket and a free throw with 3:45 to go, putting Waynesville in front 41-40.

Lord hit a basket putting Waynesville in front 43-40 with 3:20 to go.

But Gimlin hit a trey with 3:00 to play, tying the score at 43.

A basket by Sullivan with 2:40 gave Waynesville a 45-43 lead, but Gimlin continued her fourth-quarter heroics by tying the score 45-45 with just 1:32 to play. Gimlin scored 10 points in the final period on 4-of-5 shooting, hitting a pair of crucial treys down the stretch.

Tasha Lord was nearly as good, scoring 8 points in the fourth quarter, including a basket which put Waynesville up 47-45 with 1:09 left in the game.

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Photo's by Stacy Atkison.