VAN BUREN -- In just a blink of the eye, Van Buren senior guard Trenton Cooley can change the game with his speed. He showed that in a big way Tuesday night at Clair Bates Arena.

Cooley, who is approaching the program's all-time lead for steals, scored a team-high 12 points to go with eight rebounds and five steals. That performance allowed Van Buren to hold on for a 43-36 victory over Ozark in a non-conference matchup of programs coming out of state tournaments and 20-win seasons.

"Just coming off the football field, I know I'm faster than everyone," Cooley said. "I just try to go as fast as I can getting back into basketball. Whenever it comes to speed, I just try to jump passes for steals. This was a great team effort. We have a lot of talent on this team."

Cooley had two rebounds that were quickly turned into baskets and three steals that he quickly turned into layups in the game. None was bigger than when he secured a take away then scored a basket to give Van Buren a 43-36 lead with 17 seconds left.

Ozark had the lead down to 39-36 with 2:20 left in the game, but Van Buren's defense didn't allow a point after that to preserve the win.

"Trenton is just cat-like with his hands, and guys don't see it," Van Buren Coach Brad Autry said. "We see it every day. He jumps those passing lanes quick. He has shown that on the football field and on the basketball court. He has that desire when he has to make a play."

It was a complete team effort for Van Buren (4-4) to get the win, with Cooley leading the way. Ty Cobley (10 points), AG Denton (8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals), Elijah Johnson (5 points and 3 rebounds) and Brodie Myers (6 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals) off the bench were all key.

Ozark (7-5) was led by Cooper Duerr, who finished with a game-high 15 points with 9 rebounds. Caleb Lyons (8 points and 5 rebounds) and Dean Culver (3 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists) also contributed.

"I was super proud of us," Ozark Coach Brad Johnson said. "We got some decent looks that didn't just go down. I felt like we were great defensively finding a way to get back into the basketball game. I'm so proud of Cooper keeping his strong year going. I was super proud of Dean Culver, too. He played well against Cooley, who is a great guard."

Ozark didn't make it easy on Van Buren late with its rally. The Hillbillies were down 11-6 after the initial quarter and 29-18 at the break. Ozark used a 6-0 run to close out the third quarter to be down 35-24.

The Hillbillies used a 12-4 scoring stretch capped by a basket from Duerr to get Van Buren's edge down to 39-36 with 2:20 left in the game.

"I have a lot of respect for Ozark and their program," Autry said. "Those kids are tough. For us to get a win--and I don't care what it looked like--we had a lot of guys step up. This was a great team effort. I'm very proud of the guys. We aren't where we want to be, but this is a big step winning a game where you could've easily not won the game."