By Amanda Perkins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Willow Springs Bears are district champs for the first time in 14 years.
“That’s the best game we played all year long,” said Willow Springs head coach Mike Wilson. “We shot the ball well because we moved the ball well. We didn’t take a bad shot in the whole first half, and when you do that, good things happen.”
The Bears topped the Hollister Tigers 74-41 in a Class 4, District 11 matchup. Willow Springs came out of the gate hot, outscoring the Tigers by 13 points in the first frame.
Willow Springs senior Owen Duddridge and Hollister senior Josh Barlow each scored 20 points.
Barlow was first on the board, but Duddridge quickly answered from downtown for Willow Springs. Duddridge followed that by a layup, then a Gabe Colvin rebound and put-back earned him an and-one. Duddridge connected from behind the arc twice more, then Colvin fired his own buzzer-beating three-pointer to lead 22-9 after one quarter.
Duddridge opened the second with another three. Garrett Snyder and Scottie Osborn traded buckets before Dylan Greenwood and Barlow combined for five for Hollister. But Willow Springs would dominate the remainder of the quarter, adding 10 points and allowing only a Hollister free throw, entering halftime with a 41-19 lead.
The Bears ended the third on a Ryan Koehler buzzer-beater, outscoring the Tigers by two points in the quarter. In the final frame, Hollister added 12 against Willow’s 21 points.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
The Bears have five seniors on the team. “Scottie (Osborn) and Owen have started since they were freshmen,” said Wilson. “Both are 1,000-point scorers. Owen will be up there on the assists, and Scottie will be up there on the rebounds in school history by the time everything is said and done.”
“I started with those two when I got here my first year and they were freshmen,” said Wilson. “Gannon McGinnis and Gabe Colvin both came in, and Gannon started playing some varsity as a sophomore. Gabe came in as a junior. Our fifth is Tavin Thompson, and he is a great kid and hard worker.”
“They work hard, they play hard, and they like each other,” said Wilson. “The biggest thing is they all like each other and play well together.”
Hollister loses two seniors: Josh Barlow and Clay Kemp. “When Josh was a sophomore, we were .500 as a team.,” said Coach Leonard. “We knew Josh would be a leader, and we’ve won 40 games in the past two years. We kind of built it around him. Then Clay joined us, and he’s gotten better every year. They mean the world to the team and to me as a coach.”
The Tigers end their season with a 20-9 record.
Willow Springs will travel to Nixa on Tuesday, March 8, at 7:45 pm to take on the Lamar Tigers in sectional play. “They are quick and are playing really well,” said Coach Wilson. “They will be all we want.”
The Bears are now 21-5 on the year.
Scoring for Willow Springs: Owen Duddridge, 20; Scottie Osborn, 16; Gannon McGinnis, 12; Gabe Colvin, 10; Scooter Osborn, 8; Taftin Thompson, 2; Taylor Rothermich, 2; Ryan Friga, 2; Ryan Koehler, 2.
Scoring for Hollister: Josh Barlow, 20; Clay Kemp, 9; Garrett Snyder, 5; Malachi Henry, 3; Dylan Greenwood, 2; Luke Calovich, 2.
