By Dana Harding
Nixa, MO – In Tuesday’s battle of state-ranked heavyweights, Nixa (Class 5, No. 6) got all it could handle from Hartville (Class 2, No. 1) … and then some.
With the red Eagles nursing only a two-point lead late in the fourth quarter, a key burst from Nathan Elmer and Christian Bundy finally gave Nixa enough breathing room to close out the game with a 61-54 victory.
With 3:00 left in the game and Nixa up 49-47, Seth Viebrock found Elmer in the corner for a baseline 3-pointer that coincided with a Hartville foul on Bundy under the basket. After struggling most of the game from the free throw line, the 6’5” senior rose to the occasion and drained both ends of the one-and-one opportunity.
“We were just coming down and trying to take care of the ball,” Elmer said. “Viebrock came down, got trapped and found me in the corner. I give him all the credit for the assist on the back side.”
Following a quick stop at the other end, Viebrock called his own number with a drive down the lane. The basket capped a 7-0 Nixa run and turned the final moments into a free throw contest for the win.
Nixa head coach Jay Osborne praised his team for a solid fourth quarter effort.
“I thought Elmer played really well,” Osborne said. “We had some other kids hit some big shots, but Nathan really came through with some big buckets when we needed them.”
Elmer finished with a career-high 21 points to lead Nixa. He was joined in double figures by Evan Bergman’s 12 and Bundy’s 10.
Despite Elmer’s late fireworks, Hartville still had a pair of late-game opportunities to pull the game into a single-possession affair; however, free throw struggles on both trips allowed Nixa to hold off any hopes of a final rally.
For Hartville and head coach Brett Reed, Elmer’s big night was a direct result of trying to limit Nixa’s front-line effectiveness.
“Our game plan coming in was how to stop Bundy in the paint,” Reed said. “We were overmatched and outsized as far as that goes, so we had to try and make some adjustments to where we could collapse in the middle and keep him from catching it; therefore, we left open shooters.”
While Nixa drained ten 3-pointers in the contest and enjoyed a great deal of success from the outside, the Hartville plan nearly paid off in the end.
“We’ve been on the good side and the bad side of free throws over the years,” Reed said. “I think we had a five-point lead on Nixa last year at home and missed free throws down the stretch, so we know how important they are. Tonight, we didn’t play a whole lot of kids, and I think legs kind of came into play later on. That’s not on the kids, that’s on me.”
Hartville all-stater Deric Jones poured in 28 points to lead all scorers in the game. Dune Piper added 12 for the blue Eagles.
Following last season’s narrow 40-37 win in Hartville, it’s safe to say Nixa knew what to expect from the defending Class 2 state champions.
“We knew what they were made of,” Osborne said. “There’s a reason why they won a state title last year, and they’re probably favored to win another one. We beat a really good team tonight.”
Good team might be an understatement.
By the time postseason tournaments roll around, Hartville might be the most battle-tested school in the area. All three of the blue Eagles’ losses have been against Class 5 schools this season (Glendale, Parkview and Nixa), and Hartville owns a mid-December victory over Hazelwood Central.
Reed put the early-season tests into perspective.
“A big thing that helped us last year in the playoffs was our schedule,” Reed said. “As bad as we don’t want to lose, it shows what our deficiencies and weaknesses are. We’re not going to get that, for the most part, unless we’re playing the Nixas and the Glendales and the Parkviews. If we can come in and compete at the Class 5 level, we feel good about making a run in Class 2.”
Up next for Nixa (13-1) is a clash with No. 5 Kickapoo on Friday, Jan. 20. Hartville (13-3) travels to Mountain Grove that same evening.
Varsity final: Nixa – 61, Hartville – 54
Nixa 13 17 15 16 — 61
Hartville 15 8 18 13 — 54
Nixa scoring: Nathan Elmer – 21, Evan Bergman – 12, Christian Bundy – 10, Seth Viebrock – 8, Austin Bracker – 5, Braeden Combs – 4, Drew Canady – 1
Hartville scoring: Deric Jones – 28, Dune Piper – 12, Wyatt Ward – 9, Jace Keith – 3, Holton Simmons – 2
JV final: Nixa – 59, Hartville – 31
(Luke Roemen – 15 points)
