Unseeded Bolivar upsets No. 1 Nixa 59-56 on this DEEP buzzer-beating three by Brody Ingold! pic.twitter.com/incLtop8ZX
— Ozarks Sports Zone (@OzarksOzone) December 27, 2024
by Don Abernathy (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
With the ball still in flight, arcing toward the rim as the buzzer sounded, Bolivar senior Brody Ingold wasn’t sure if the shot was going in.
When it fell, the ensuing mob of his teammates was proof he had just sent the Liberators to the Gold Division semifinals.
“I didn’t know when I let it go if it was going in or not,” Ingold said.
“I honestly thought it was short, but when it went in all I could see was my brother and a huge bench mob running at me.”
Ingold’s 25-foot 3-pointer from the left wing gave unseeded Bolivar a 59-56 upset win over top-seeded Nixa in the quarterfinals on Friday.
“I’ve never hit a game-winner like that on a stage like this,” Ingold said. “I’ve hit a couple before, but not like that one. What a great feeling.”
Nixa had just tied the game 17 seconds earlier at 56-all when senior Bryce Foster banked home a 3 from the left wing.
But Bolivar didn’t take a timeout. They opted instead to let the clock run and have Ingold bring the ball up the floor to take the last shot.
“Brody has a heart that is huge, and he has courage that surpasses the moment, and I trusted him to take the shot,” Bolivar coach Robby Hoegh said.
“I thought when the shot went up, it was short, but I think that little bit of heart that he has pushed it over the front of the rim.”
Bolivar built a double-digit lead at halftime thanks to a 20-3 run that lasted over five minutes of the second quarter.
Ingold had three 3s during the run as Bolivar led 33-16 with 1:49 left before the half.
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“We forced some misses,” Hoegh said. “We got a few rebounds, steals, and got in transition and we rode that momentum for a while.”
Nixa was different in the third quarter. The Eagles forced eight turnovers in the third quarter and went on a run themselves, outscoring Bolivar 9-3 and cut the lead to five points (36-31).
“If I’m being honest, the way we started the game we probably didn’t deserve to win. I’m not sure the basketball Gods would have let us win that one. Bolivar played great, but I thought we came out lackadaisical,” Nixa head coach Brock Blansit said. “In the third quarter, we just turned it up a notch. We started guarding. I was disappointed with the effort in the first half, but I’m happy with the way we played in the second half.”
Nixa senior Jaise Combs was a one-man wrecking crew in the third quarter, scoring 12 of his team-high 20 points as Nixa continued to narrow the lead.
The Eagles got to within a single point three times in the fourth quarter and finally tied the game on Foster’s 3 in the final 17 seconds.
Brody Ingold finished with 21 points — including five 3s — junior Wyatt Campbell added 14 points and six rebounds, while Colton Ingold finished with 13 points and eight rebounds.
“The whole season has been working toward this,” Campbell said. “We’ve been looking to get our shot at a big team. This is a result of our love and support of each other on the court no matter what.
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“Honestly, this is one of the greatest moments of my life.”
Bolivar will next play Springfield Greenwood at 4 p.m. at Great Southern Bank Arena on Saturday, Dec. 28, while Nixa will play Strafford at 12:30 p.m. at Hammons Student Center.
Bolivar 59, Nixa 56 – FINAL
Bolivar – 11-22-14-12 — 59
Nixa – 11-11-20-14 — 56
B: Brody Ingold 21, Wyatt Campbell 14, Colton Ingold 13, Gardner Casey 8, Matthew Giglio 3
N: Adam McKnight 21, Jaise Combs 20, Keivon Flint 8, Bryce Foster 5, Ty Kellis 2
