[wpbvideo id=”848331″]
By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The White Division championship of the Pink and White Lady Classic did not come down to who was afraid to win – it came down to who refused to lose.
In a true battle of wills and two No. 1 seeds, the West Plains Lady Zizzers outlasted the Nixa Lady Eagles 61-58 in triple overtime Thursday at Parkview.
“I’m just so proud of them,” West Plains coach Scott Womack said. “It’s been a hard week. We had a tough game yesterday, and there were times today where you felt like we were almost in trouble. But, this group just keeps fighting and making plays when they needed to, whether it was on the defensive end or an offensive board or steal. And, they just kept fighting.
“That was just really two good teams. Jennifer (Perryman) does such a good job with (Nixa), and they were well-prepared. It was just who could make the biggest play at the end.”
And, at the end of three overtimes – it was West Plains.
With the game tied at 57 going into the third overtime, both teams’ defenses denied the other the opportunity to score. But, with 1:37 to go, West Plains’ Ashton Judd was fouled. She missed both free throws, and Nixa’s Macie Conway was sent to the line where she made the first of her two free throws to put the Lady Eagles up 58-57.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Judd got another chance, however, with 1:08 to play. She hit both ends of a 1-and-1, giving the Lady Zizzers a 59-57 lead. With 41.2 seconds left, MacKenzie Brunson made the second of her two from the charity stripe for a 60-58 West Plains advantage.
A couple of timeouts and turnovers later for both teams, Brunson again went to the line with 11.5 seconds to go. This time, she missed them both, but Judd was there to secure the miss and was fouled in the process. Her first free throw didn’t go, but she was able to give the Lady Zizzers a little cushion by hitting the second one for a 61-58 lead.
Nixa, who had a chance to win it at the buzzer at the end of the second overtime, had a chance to tie it with a 3-pointer at the buzzer, but just missed.
“I knew I just had to forget it, and I had to focus on what’s coming because we still had a ball game to win, so I just had to knock down these next ones,” Judd said of the go-ahead free throws before her key rebound. “I think it came down to possessions and we had more possessions than they did and that’s what had us win the game.
“It’s always been like that. We’ll play (Nixa) three, four times a year, and it’s always close, and it’s always who rebounds more, so we came out on top.”
The biggest lead in the game was a five-point advantage for West Plains (23-18) early in the second quarter. The two teams were tied 24-24 at halftime and played even every quarter after that, aside from the third overtime. West Plains used its matchup zone to stretch Nixa’s offense and the Lady Eagles used their pressure all over the floor to disrupt the Lady Zizzers, as both teams left everything they had on the floor.
“I love our kids’ effort tonight, which is unbelievable,” Nixa coach Jennifer Perryman said. “It becomes something deep when you want it for them more than you want it for yourself. I felt like we’re finally doing things to put us in that position. West Plains is an unbelievable team, a well-coached team. They’re very disciplined. They do what they do. I felt like we just we literally fought till the final buzzer.
“We’ve said all along that rebounding will be our Achilles and tonight it was our Achilles. We didn’t get a good start to our press. Once we settled in, I think that was effective. But, rebounding is a key. I thought our kids played together, they executed, they knew the game plan, they were focused, they were very disciplined, and they fought hard. I’m not so sure they had anything left in the tank, and I think that’s a true measure of a well-played game.”
Macie Conway led Nixa with 20 points, while Norah Clark and Ali Kamies added 10 apiece. But, it was Ali Kamies’ effort that guided the Lady Eagles.
“She dictates a lot for us, and a lot of our defensive success comes off her, and she doesn’t get near enough credit,” Perryman said. “I wish they covered defensive stats more because she deserves a lot of it. She’s always drawn that tough assignment, and her and Katie (Kamies) did a pretty good job.”
For the past seven years, the Pink and White Lady Classic has included out-of-area or out-of-state teams. In 2019, the Lady Zizzers finished runner-up to Fort Smith (Ark.) Northside in the Pink Division. This year, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament returned to its original format.
And, in addition to the White Division championship, the Lady Zizzers also were presented the Dr. Jim Jester Sportsmanship Award.
“I think with just southwest Missouri teams, you’ve got about the best southwest Missouri teams. So, you feel like you’re one of the better ones around when you can win it,” Womack said. “And, you’re always proud for your program when you can bring the sportsmanship home. That shows that our girls are doing it the right way. I think that the girls do a good job of conducting themselves on the court and staying within their game, and so I’m proud of them for both of those things.”
Judd led all scorers with 26 points and Brunson added 19, 13 of those coming in overtime.
(1) WEST PLAINS 61, (1) NIXA 58 (3OT)
Pink and White Lady Classic
White Championship
NIXA 12-12-10-14-5-4-1—58
WEST PLAINS 13-11-10-14-5-4-4—61
(1) WEST PLAINS (12-0) – Georgia Osborn 5, MacKenzie Brunson 19, Drew Harris 2, Allyssa Joyner 8, Ashton Judd 26, Zoey Williams 1.
(1) NIXA (9-3) – Ali Kamies 10, Rhianna Gibbons XX8, Katie Kamies 6, Norah Clark 10, Macie Conway 20, Sadie Conway 3, Adelyn Weaver 1.
Third place: Republic 70, Waynesville 33
