By Tyler F. Thompson (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Kickapoo-Nixa rivalry had another chapter written on Saturday evening. The Chiefs, who beat Nixa in the regular season, were looking to avenge last season’s three-point loss to the Eagles in the district championship.
Mission accomplished.
With senior Elijah Nabors running the backcourt and Will Winn’s vertical and slicing ability through the paint, Kickapoo defeated Nixa 64-49 for the Class 6 District 5 title.
“I am just glad that we won. We had a rough loss last year,” Winn said.
The Chiefs owned the opening quarter, up 14-9, and Winn’s high-flying alley-oop sent the Kickapoo fans soaring themselves.
Just the start McHenry and company wanted to see.
“We beat Nixa once, and we wanted to beat them again and keep going, get some revenge for last year,” Winn added.
In the second quarter, Nixa ditched the man-to-man and went zone.
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Kickapoo’s Reese Kimrey was receptive, connecting for the 3-pointer, taking the kickout from the paint.
Kickapoo authored an 8-3 run to create some separation in the second, leading 27-22.
Nixa’s first lead of the game came at the 4:49 mark of the second period, but that was short lived, as the Kickapoo defense tightened up against a team with greater height.
Kickapoo, though, has heard the chatter of their smaller lineup all year long.
On this night, size did not matter, but the defensive play by Nabors was a tone-setter.
“He has been an impact player on the defensive side of the ball the past two years,” McHenry said of Nabors. “He is continuing to improve offensively. He did a really good job today against Randy [Flint].”
In the third, Nabors’s early shot from the perimeter and Brock Thompson’s authority in the paint began to force Nixa to press a bit, taking shots with a hand in the face.
“I thought they played with great poise and confidence,” McHenry said. “I thought they looked like an experienced team, which we are. A battle-tested team. Finished the second quarter really well, and then I thought the second half was about as good as we could play. Thought we played at a really high level.”
Kimrey finished the first half with nine points and Nixa’s Randy Flint had 13 to lead all scorers.
The Chiefs outscored the Eagles 37-27 in the final 16 minutes of play.
Kimrey finished with 11 points, nine of which via 3-pointers.
Kickapoo benefitted from second-chance opportunities throughout the night, as they forced 10 Eagles turnovers.
“I think it is huge. I think our ball pressure is really important because we are not very big. They have a clear size advantage against us. I was really proud of how hard we played. We really rebounded at a high level. Our kids are tough, really tough. We have been undersized all year.”
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Up 34-28 midway through the third, Nabors drilled another 3-pointer and Winn converted the putback, once again, soaring above the pack in the paint.
Brayden Rubidoux knocked down the 3 from the wing and the Chiefs hit a new cylinder, closing out the 19-13 run as they led 46-35 with eight minutes remaining in regulation.
Up 51-43 and minutes from the final whistle, and with this possibly being the last game of the season on their hardwood, Winn got elevation one final time, slamming the ball through the rim with authority.
Kickapoo pushed its home record to 9-0 this season.
Scoring for Kickapoo: Nabors (10), Rylee Tan (3), Brayden Rubidoux (7), Will Winn (16), Brock Thompson (14).
Scoring for Nixa: Owen Seitz (9), Randy Flint (17), Colt McCoy (2), Ty Kellis (7), Adam McKnight (8) and Cameron Miller (2).
The Chiefs now prepare for a tough Class 6 sectionals tilt against Class 6 No. 1 Rockhurst (25-1).
