When Branson’s defense is good, the Pirates usually benefit on the offensive end, too.
Fortunately for Branson, its second-half 1-3-1 zone defense fueled an offensive surge Thursday night, helping the Pirates recover from a shaky start.
Branson overcame double-digit deficits in both halves, dominating the final two quarters to win 58-41 at Nixa behind 32 points from junior Amanda Kearney and 16 points from senior Ashley Forrest.
“For us, it really starts on defense,” said Branson coach Kip Bough. “We got some deflections and got out and ran. Once we get out running and get some ball movement, then it just fuels everyone.
“We can be pretty good on defense. That’s where we hang our hat.”
Kearney caught fire in the second half, where she scored 24 of her 32 points including 18 in the third quarter alone. On the last of her three third-quarter treys, Kearney buried one from the Nixa logo – about 25 feet – to end the third quarter and give Branson a 42-37 lead.
“Once she got one (basket), she’s the kind of shooter that can get two or three more in a row,” Bough said. “With her, it was a run out, it was a layup, it was getting to the free throw line. Then, the 3-pointer goes. Shooting is 80 percent mental. Once she got a couple of those easy ones, the 3s came along. When you can hit 3s like that, you can make up ground pretty quick.”
Kayla Goss’ steal and layup gave Nixa a 34-22 lead just over two minutes into the third quarter.
It was all Branson from there. The Pirates responded by scoring 27 of the game’s next 32 points to lead 49-39 midway through the fourth quarter.
“We started missing shots and we weren’t adjusting,” said Nixa coach Jennifer Perryman. “We’re a 3-point shooting team, but we’re not an offensive rebounding team. And that’s a bad combination because 60 percent of the time those 3s aren’t going to go in.”
Nixa made 16 field goals in the game, but only five after halftime. Nixa built a double-digit lead in the first half thanks to its early 3-point shooting. Five of the Eagles’ six 3-pointers in the game occurred before halftime.
When those shots weren’t falling in the second half, Nixa’s defense suffered, too. The Eagles threw a variety of defenses at Branson, including a matchup 2-3 zone and a triangle-and-2.
“Once things didn’t go well offensively, we shut down defensively,” Perryman said. “Our help-side defense and our rotations weren’t very good. Defensively, we rebounded well. But once we stopped hitting shots, it’s like we weren’t sure where to go from there. We talked all season long about letting your defense dictate your offense, not your offense dictate your defense. In our last two games, we’ve let our offense dictate our defense and that’s why we haven’t been successful.”
Branson was 13-for-22 at the free throw line, compared to Nixa’s 3-for-7 mark.
Nixa fell to 10-9 overall and 1-1 in the COC-Large. The Eagles host Carthage on Monday.
The win improves Branson – ranked No. 7 in this week’s Class 5 MBCA/MoSports.com state poll – to 16-3 overall and 2-0 in the COC-Large, keeping pace alongside Republic and Ozark for the top spot in the league.
The Pirates host Ozark on Monday.
Branson 58, Nixa 41
Branson 3 16 23 16 — 58
Nixa 12 14 11 4 — 41
Branson – Amanda Kearney 32, Ashley Forrest 16, Terra Utz-Depriest 7, Emily Gifford 2, Lauren Garrison 1
Nixa – Shelby Ewing 10, Lakyn Wools 7, Kayla Goss 7, Kelsey Biro 6, Taylor Arnold 6, Paige Wells 3, Bissett Michaelson 2
Nixa B 32, Branson B 23
