By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Senior point guard Karis Ferguson didn’t need to be told how long it’s been since the Nixa Lady Eagles beat Kickapoo.
She could easily recite the stats.
“Oh, we know,” Ferguson said postgame. “Eleven years, 13 games.”
That drought is over.
Nixa ended its 13-game losing streak to Kickapoo on Monday night with a 58-53 home victory. Balanced scoring carried the Lady Eagles as six players tallied six or more points, led by Brooke Teter’s 17.
It’s Nixa’s first win over Kickapoo since March 4, 2014, when the Lady Eagles beat Kickapoo in a district semifinal.
“It’s definitely something we talked about,” Teter said. “That was our big motivation in this game. We just wanted to break the streak.”
Monday’s victory not only gives Nixa (18-3 overall, 7-0 COC) a leg up in the COC East Division race, it also moves the Lady Eagles a step closer to locking up the No. 1 seed for next month’s Class 6 District 5 Tournament at Ozark. A Nixa-Kickapoo rematch could await in the finals.
Lady Eagles coach Jenny Talbert said she didn’t avoid bringing up recent history in the Kickapoo-Nixa series to her team.
“They were aware of it,” Talbert said. “Kickapoo’s a great program with great tradition. (Our players) were aware that beating (Kickapoo) would be a challenge, but it would be really satisfying if we could do it.
“We felt like we’ve been playing well. We knew it would be a good game… we were just hopeful that we could have a chance at the end. I was proud of how the girls played.”
Nixa led almost the entire game but was never able to put Kickapoo away for good.
The Lady Chiefs threatened to pull off a heartbreaker at the end, as a Josie Salazar-led rally brought Kickapoo within 51-48 with 2:25 left.
Salazar led Kickapoo with 17 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Anyiah Doig scored seven of her 13 points in the fourth to supplement the rally.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
But Nixa made enough free throws down the stretch to prevail. Teter was 8-for-10 at the line in the fourth quarter.
“Personally, I (hadn’t) won against them in my high school career yet. This whole last week, we’ve been preparing for that revenge tour,” Ferguson said. “We really wanted to go get that win, especially for Coach Talbert and the rest of the girls who have lost to Kickapoo before.”
Ceely Young added 11 points and Taylor Wood had nine points for Nixa. The Lady Eagles outscored Kickapoo by six in the third quarter after leading 27-25 at halftime.
“It was just a team effort,” Talbert said. “We preach to them all the time, ‘Get stops and scores, and string them together.’ We were able to do that.”
The outcome snaps two other Kickapoo streaks. The Lady Chiefs (18-3 overall, 7-1 COC, No. 5 in MBCA Class 6 state poll) had won 14 straight overall entering Monday’s contest.
Kickapoo also suffered its first loss to an area team since falling to Republic in the 2023 Class 6 District 5 championship game.
Nixa, who was unranked in the most recent Class 6 state poll, has now won 12 straight games since losing to Hillcrest in the Pink and White quarterfinals in late December. Eleven of those 12 wins have come by double digits.
“Our team works super well together,” Teter said. “We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. We really pick each other up, and we thrive off each other’s energy.”
Nixa returns to action Thursday night at Lebanon. Kickapoo will host Waynesville the same night.
Nixa 58, Kickapoo 53
Kickapoo 8 17 7 21 — 53
Nixa 13 14 13 18 — 58
Kickapoo (18-3 overall, 7-1 COC) – Josie Salazar 17, Anyiah Doig 13, Mikayla Pilley 12, Ni’ell Ross 4, Lexi Ringgold 3, Taylyn Whited 3, Allison Scott 1
Nixa (18-3 overall, 7-0 COC) – Brooke Teter 17, Ceely Young 11, Taylor Wood 9, Kennedy Nash 7, Karis Ferguson 6, Addy Ruffin 6, Gwen Kubik 2
