The Nixa Lady Eagles started strong and fought off everything Republic threw at them in a 58-39 win at Joplin in the district semifinals. Nixa held Republic scoreless during the last six minutes of the game.
The biggest series of possessions came early in the fourth quarter. Republic had cut a 13-point Nixa lead to eight. The Lady Tigers had the momentum, and twice had the ball with a chance to cut the lead to six – but came up empty on consecutive possessions. From there, Nixa scored 11 consecutive points to pull away.
“We did a lot of things that hurt ourselves, and every time it looked like we were about ready to get some momentum or make a run, we’d throw the ball away or something like that,” Flood said. “You just can’t do that in… these games.”
Early in the game, Nixa had blitzed Republic with transition points, just as in the regular-season meeting between the two teams, which Nixa won 84-76. The Lady Eagles scored 23 points in the first quarter and led by as many as 13 before settling for a 23-14 lead at the end of the period. They maintained their nine-point lead at halftime, 36-27.
“That first five or six minutes really dictated that whole game,” Flood said. ” came out and looked like they were fired up and ready to go, and we came out a little flat. We had talked about the transition, and we got beat a couple times right out of the gate.”
Nixa’s defense frustrated Republic, too. Only senior Miha Nambara helped the Lady Tigers stay close. She scored 11 of her team-high 16 points in the first quarter to keep the game from turning into a blowout.
Kaemyn Bekemeier, who had scored 37 points in the teams’ first meeting, was held to nine points.
“They did a heck of a job on Kaemyn. They played physical against her. We were trying to find some spots and ways of getting (the ball) to her, and getting her in a spot where she could go,” said Flood.
In addition to Nixa’s physical defense, Bekemeier was hampered by foul trouble out of her control. She played the last quarter-and-a-half with four fouls to her name, even though she had only committed three, because of an apparent mistake at the scorer’s table.
Nixa was not quite as balanced in scoring this time as in its first meeting with Republic, when five different players hit double figures. But they were plenty balanced to get the job done, led by senior Macie Conway’s 27 points. Norah Clark scored 14 and Ali Kamies finished with 12.
In addition to Nambara’s 16, Rilynn Finley was also in double figures with 10.
The game marked the last contest in a Republic uniform for seniors Miha Nambara and Eternity Knotts.
Nixa improves to 24-4 and advances to the district championship game against Kickapoo Friday. Republic finishes at 21-7.
Republic Scoring
Miha Nambara 16, Rilynn Finley 10, Kaemyn Bekemeier 9, Alaina Norman 2, Hope Schatz 1, Misora Nambara 1
