[wpbvideo id=”958785″]
By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
With Springfield Public Schools not in session Friday (road conditions), Parkview guard Elijah Whitley had a lot of unexpected free time.
“It’s weird, I’ll say that,” Whitley said. “You come straight to school just to play. You’re not in school all day. You’re used to being out, already awake, but now you’re sleeping in or whatever.”
The Vikings didn’t hit snooze for too long, as they held a morning shoot-around to prepare for a Rolla Bulldogs squad that recently beat the No. 1 team in Class 5.
Watching game film of Rolla’s home win over No. 1-ranked Bolivar on Tuesday, Parkview coach Landon Cornish could relate to Bolivar’s struggles.
“Rolla’s a really, really tough place to play,” Cornish said. “I told Rolla’s coach (Mark Miller) before the game, ‘It was kind of like I was having flashbacks.’ Like, ‘Oh, I’ve seen that before up there.’ Rolla’s well-coached, they play together and they’re unselfish.”
Parkview enjoyed home court advantage on Friday night and held off Rolla in an Ozark Conference matchup of state-ranked teams.
Parkview made the decisive plays in the final 1:30 to prevail, 49-44. Senior forward Shane Glass led three Vikings in double figures with 14 points.
Parkview had to adjust from its normal up-tempo style against a Rolla team that emphasizes the opposite.
Rolla (7-6 overall, No. 10-ranked in Class 5 MBCA) hasn’t scored or allowed over 60 points in any game this season.
“We wanted to try to speed up the game a little bit, and to Rolla’s credit, we honestly couldn’t speed them up that much,” Cornish said. “We forced a couple of turnovers, but overall, we really had to work hard for our points tonight.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
The Vikings (8-3 overall, No. 7-ranked in Class 5 MBCA) got a pair of baskets from senior Marcus Price Jr. down the stretch after Rolla twice drew within one point.
Trailing 47-44, Rolla missed a pair of shots and Whitley converted a fastbreak layup with 11 seconds remaining to seal Parkview’s win.
“We stuck together and managed to pull through,” said Whitley, who has committed to play at Drury University next school year. “We didn’t fold.”
Luke Foster (16), Ty Locklear (16) and Gage Klossner (12) contributed all of Rolla’s scoring.
Both teams struggled to make shots in the second half, with neither side cracking 20 points. Parkview made all four of its 3-pointers in the first half.
“We were getting good looks,” Whitley said. “If they were falling, we could’ve had a big lead. But we stuck through it.”
Cornish urged his players to keep shooting with confidence.
“I kept telling our guys in the fourth quarter, ‘Those are the shots we want. They’re in and out. We have to trust what we can do and keep letting it fly,’” Cornish said. “It is what it is sometimes.”
Rolla continues its early conference gauntlet on Tuesday with a matchup at Kickapoo. All six of Rolla’s losses this season have occurred against teams with winning records.
Parkview plays at Waynesville on Tuesday then competes in the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions Jan. 13-15 in Springfield.
“We continue to try and say, ‘This is what’s most important today,’” Cornish said. “I think tonight was big for our guys to show their maturity. They knew Rolla’s a really good team and this would’ve been easy to look ahead and then come out and lose on your home floor.
“We’ll keep our focus this weekend on Waynesville and when Wednesday rolls around, we’ll start enjoying the Tournament of Champions experience.”
The Vikings draw Sierra Canyon (Calif.) – which features prized recruits Amari Bailey and Bronny James – in Thursday’s opening round.
“It’s a big environment,” Whitley said. “Good crowd, good players, good environment and everything.
“It’s going to be something special.”
Parkview 49, Rolla 44
Rolla 13 12 11 8 — 44
Parkview 14 16 10 9 — 49
Rolla (7-6 overall, 1-1 Ozark Conference) – Luke Foster 16, Ty Locklear 16, Gage Klossner 12
Parkview (8-3 overall, 1-0 OC) – Shane Glass 14, Elijah Whitley 11, Marcus Price Jr. 10, Brandon Corley 6, Amarre Clark 4, Xza McArthur 2, T.J. Hill 2
