Ozarks schools Columbia College

• The Bobcats put on a shooting clinic in upset win at Southwell Gymnasium.

The College of the Ozarks Bobcats, who are ranked No. 19 in the Division II polls, scored on their first four possessions and never looked back in their 87-77 upset over the Cougars at Southwell Gymnasium.

The Cougars fell to 17-5, while Ozarks improved to 11-5.

The Bobcats shot 66 percent for the game in what Columbia coach Bob Burchard called "one of the best shooting performances in our gym."

"That’s the way the game should be played," said Burchard. "The problem is that it’s the other team."

For much of the game the Ozarks led by at least 10 points, and it was up by as many as 18 with 9:52 left to play.

Ozarks forward Micah Cotten lit up the Cougars for 17 points coming off the bench, including a perfect 5-for-5 from 3-point land.

"He’s the most talented player we have, we just have to get him to know that," said Ozarks coach A.J. Waller. "He’s capable of doing that every day."

Cotten is the team’s 3-point leader (51 percent), and was earlier ranked No. 2 nationally in Division II when he was shooting over 60 percent.

The Cougars failed to contain Cotten and the rest of the Ozarks perimeter offense. The Bobcats made 10 of 19 3-pointers.

"We couldn’t match their intensity," said Columbia guard Jerrod Thompson. "They came out and jumped out on us early and never quit."

The Bobcats went on runs of 8-0, 11-0, and one of 10-0 that ended Columbia’s comeback efforts late in the game.

With Ozarks leading 66-48, Thompson displayed some of that comeback magic that worked so well against Park University this past Thursday, when he scored 18 points in the 95-69 home victory.

Limited to only four minutes playing time in the first half, Thompson ignited a 15-7 run to pull the Cougars within seven points with 5:46 to play.

During that run Thompson hit all four of his 3-point attempts and finished with a team-high 16 points.

"I got my chance in the second half, and I made the most of it," said Thompson.

"It was a game of cat and mouse," said Columbia guard Kenny Moore, who was the team’s second leading scorer with 12 points. "They hit a couple of tough shots, but most of them came on open looks."

Ozarks forward Adam Ipock eliminated all hopes for the Cougars. The Winona native had a key rebound, a steal and scored six straight points in the Bobcat’s final 10-0 run that broke the backs of the Cougars.

The Bobcat guards penetrated the lane with ease and managed to distribute the ball to the wings for open looks.

"We just couldn’t defend them at all," said Columbia forward Lawrence Thomas, who led the team with six rebounds and scored nine points. "They took the momentum from the get go."

"It was a clinic out there," said Burchard. "They did what they do best, and they did it for an entire game.”

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