By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Three (close) meetings this season. Three Nixa victories.
And the sweetest and most memorable one came when it mattered most.
Nixa outlasted Ozark 61-54 Tuesday night in a double-overtime, district-semifinal thriller at Kickapoo High School. The Eagles will go for their fifth district title in six seasons Thursday night, facing host Kickapoo in the Class 5 District 11 Tournament title game.
“I’m just overwhelmed with joy and excitement,” said Nixa senior Brandon Gordon, who scored 16. “Amazing feeling. I’m so glad we get to play on and have a chance at a district championship.”
The outcome marked Nixa’s third victory over Ozark this season. The Eagles beat Ozark 53-51 on Jan. 26 in the Nixa Invitational and 66-62 on Feb. 21 in the official Central Ozark Conference game.
“As you can see, there’s not a whole lot of separation between us,” said Nixa coach Jay Osborne. “They’re always well coached and well prepared. Tonight was a good rivalry game in a fun environment.”
In close games against other teams, Nixa (15-12 overall) has often been on the other end of the outcome. Seven of the Eagles’ 12 losses this season have come by four or fewer points.
“We’ve lost a lot of close games, by two or three points, but I feel like that’s given us motivation and drive,” Gordon said.
There were four lead changes in the second overtime.
Nixa went up 53-52 on a pair of Josh Mason free throws. He finished with a game-high 18 points.
The Eagles stopped Ozark on the Tigers’ ensuing possession, then made two more free throws to go up 55-52 with 30 seconds left.
Looking to get a quick two-point basket, Ozark rushed a shot that led to a Nixa rebound and two more free throws. Gordon helped seal the win by going four-for-four at the free throw line in the final 25 seconds.
“Whenever I got fouled, I just tried to take deep breaths and tell myself, ‘I’m going to hit these free throws each time,’” Gordon said. “And I stepped up and that’s what I did.”
Christian Drake led Ozark with 16 points.
Nixa overcame a sluggish start. The Eagles didn’t reach double digits on the scoreboard until late in the first half and trailed 22-13 at halftime.
“Rough first half, but we didn’t quit,” Osborne said. “I thought the ground we made up in the third quarter was key.”
Nixa cut its deficit to 31-26 entering the fourth quarter. Mason’s putback tied the game at 42 with 1:15 remaining in regulation.
Ozark missed potential game-winning shots at the end of regulation and the first overtime period.
“I have to give the credit to our players,” Osborne said. “They never quit and kept battling.”
Nixa 61, Ozark 54 (2 OT)
Ozark 13 9 9 13 4 6 – 54
Nixa 5 8 13 18 4 13 – 61
Ozark (16-11 overall) – Christian Drake 16, Caleb Holzer 9, Blaine Cline 8, A.J. Elliott 8, Parker Ramsdell 6, Kyle Flavin 3, Alonzo Riwa 2, Kristian Cooper 2
Nixa (15-12 overall) – Josh Mason 18, Brandon Gordon 16, Luke Roemen 9, Isaiah Engelman 7, Aaron Engleman 5, Evann Long 4, Kaleb Wofford 2
