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Defending Class 5 state champion Kickapoo entered Thursday night’s game without starting guard and second-leading scorer Jordan Wersinger (illness), plus last season’s top reserve, Ari Acuff (injury).
Adding to the woes, Kickapoo got a scare when its top player – senior and Cal-Irvine signee Jordan Sanders – left the game in the opening minute with an eye injury. She returned but battled foul trouble throughout the night.
Three big pieces missing would spell doom for a lot of teams, but not the Hannah Collins-led Lady Chiefs on Thursday night.
Collins, a junior guard, poured in a career-high 29 points and Sanders added 23 points in limited action as the Chiefs used a big third-quarter run to defeat Nixa, 78-51.
“Tonight, I don’t know if I’ve been more proud of a team’s effort. A team that was down multiple players,” said Chiefs coach Jim Pendergrass. “They could’ve felt sorry for themselves, but no, they went the other direction.”
Collins shifted over from off-ball guard to the team’s main point guard in place of Wersinger and thrived. She was a pregame captain and got the Chiefs going by scoring 11 first-quarter points.
Later, Collins went 6-for-7 at the free throw line in the fourth quarter to help the Chiefs maintain their sizable lead.
“It helped a lot see (those early shots go in) and it made my confidence go up throughout the game,” said Collins, who was a reserve last season. “I just knew I needed to step up and help the team beat our rival. I needed to play hard and help get everyone else involved as well.”
Kickapoo led by 12 halfway through the second quarter, but Nixa got back into the mix by closing the half on an 8-0 run, capped by Emily Edwards’ 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Kickapoo, with its lead down to 31-27, quickly took control again in the third quarter by starting the second half on a 16-1 run. The Chiefs led by double figures the remainder of the game.
“It wasn’t a very good first half for us – we had 12 turnovers and that’s 12 more possessions you’re giving to a good team – but to battle back and be down only four at halftime, we felt like we were in a good spot,” said Nixa coach Jennifer Perryman. “In the games we’ve been behind, we’ve had really good third quarters.”
Kickapoo’s aggressive half-court traps and zone defense – often featuring Sanders creating havoc at the top – stymied the Nixa offense in the second half.
“We tried to make them throw over us, tried to have a lot of back-side rotation, tried to keep the ball out of the middle,” Pendergrass said. “Hannah did a good job tonight of rotation over there not allowing (Nixa) a lot of easy baskets. We did a good job of contesting 3s in the second half. They didn’t get a lot of good looks.”
Nixa only had two third-quarter field goals before Edwards’ runner at the buzzer brought the Eagles within 51-37 entering the fourth. Lakyn Wools finished with 12 points to lead Nixa (4-3 overall) and Edwards scored 11.
Kickapoo (6-2 overall) saw sophomore post Katrice Jackson finish with 11 points and provide a steady post presence on the defensive end, while freshman guard Jaden Wiley added eight points.
“The girls – all the girls – they stepped up,” Pendergrass said. “When someone’s out, the rest of them have to do more and they did that tonight. Hannah Collins did a fabulous job stepping into a new role. We haven’t been playing her in that spot, but she’s confident in handling the ball and we’re confident in her, the team’s confident in her.”
Nixa returns to action on Dec. 27 at the Pink and White. Kickapoo hosts Republic on Monday night.
Kickapoo 78, Nixa 51
Nixa 11 16 10 14 — 51
Kickapoo 16 15 20 27 — 78
Nixa – Lakyn Wools 12, Emily Edwards 11, Lakin Copeland 9, Kelsey Biro 6, Halley Wiggins 4, Bissett Michaelson 4, Paige Wells 3, Taylor Arnold 2
Kickapoo – Hannah Collins 29, Jordan Sanders 23, Katrice Jackson 11, Jaden Wiley 8, Autumn Stephens 5, Natasha Whittet 2
Nixa JV 35, Kickapoo JV 22
