Garrett Hines shot lights out Tuesday at one of the last gyms he felt beforehand would bring about one of his better games, ironically because of the lights.
Hines ignited Nixa’s offense with nine points in the first four minutes and the Eagles went on to notch a 74-60 COC-opening triumph at Ozark on Tuesday.
Hines finished with a trio of 3-point goals and 16 points.
“Usually, I don’t like shooting at Ozark,” the junior guard said. “I just don’t like it in here, to be honest. I don’t like the lighting. But now I guess it’s a new favorite place for me.”
“I have found that these guys don’t mind shooting about anywhere, they like to shoot it,” coach Brock Blansit said. “Garrett got the good start and got us off to a good start.”
Like so many perimeter shooters with a hot hand, Hines’ night started with him making his first shot.
“When I see that first one go in, I’m ready and looking for the ball,” he said.
Hines also gets himself in the right mindset to fire away during warmups and isn’t necessarily concerned if his shot is falling or not.
“I try to get a feel for the ball. That gets me ready for game-time,” he said. “I can feel it when it comes off my hands. That’s all I’m looking for. I may miss in warmups, but if it feels fine coming off my hands, I know in a game it will fall. Everything else goes back to my training and the workouts I’ve done.”
Hines complemented Kael Combs’ 31-point effort. Having a secondary scorer share the scoring load with Combs has been a constant for the Eagles. Who that player is has changed most nights.
“Josh (Peters) had the huge game against Rogersville (at the Blue & Gold Tournament) and Garrett is just as good of a shooter as Josh,” center Noah Engelman said. “I knew he was going to have a big game sooner or later. It was bound to happen.”
Nixa started 6-of-9 shooting from 3-point land. The Eagles finished 8-of-21, with their success beyond the arc largely affected by the preceding pass.
Hines appreciates the inside-outside passes he receives prior to shooting.
“It’s a great basketball play in general. Coaches love it," Hines said. "You’re set up and ready when you get the ball. You don’t have to turn your body. If you’re shooting on The Gun, that’s the way you’re practicing."
Blansit like his shooters’ chances upon receiving a pass from a teammate in front of them.
“If it’s a good pass, it’s a shot I feel like we’ll make most of the time,” Blansit said. “Passing can be a lost art. You’ve got to be able to pass it to the shooter in a position for him to catch and shoot. You can’t be throwing at their shins or up at their head. For the most part, we’ve handled the ball well.”
Combs also had a trio of 3-pointers. He did most of his damage by repeatedly beating his defender off the dribble and finishing at the basket.
Combs didn’t score over the first six minutes. He proceeded to pick his spots to score.
After Ozark fought back from a 10-0 deficit with a 10-2 run to cut Nixa’s lead to four at 21-17 two minutes into the second quarter, Combs swished a 3 from the top of the key.
Nixa’s lead was in double digits most of the rest of the night.
“Kael’s a pretty good player. He’s hard to guard,” Ozark coach Mark Schweitzer purposely said with sarcasm. “The teammates he has around him make it harder to guard him because you can’t send double-teams at him. The other kids can play, too.”
Ozark received a double-double from center Jace Whatley. He collected 21 points and 10 rebounds, including eight offensive boards.
The Tigers, who fell to 4-10, were coming off a 53-51 loss at Columbia Hickman (11-3) on Saturday.
“Our kids didn’t handle the first couple of minutes tonight well," Schweitzer said. "I thought we battled. We’re just not good enough, yet, to win this game. But I think if we played this game in December we would have lost by 30.
“I see improvement,” he added. “We played a really good game at Hickman. We have to stay in the gym and keep going to practice with a good attitude and know our days are coming. Hopefully, we see some success for the fruits of our labor so to speak.”
By moving to 13-0, Nixa is off to the program’s best start going back at least 15 years. Blansit’s bunch previously had shared that distinction with the Eagles’ 2009-10 team, which started 12-0.
“It was (Austin) Ruder’s group that was 12-0 also. I had that in my mind before the game,” Hines said. “Coming into this season, we weren’t being looked at as being great. We’ve been working hard and have wanted to make a statement this whole season.”
Nixa upped it COC winning streak to 25 games.
Nixa 74, Ozark 60
NIXA (74) — Engelman 3 2-2 8, Combs 10 8-10 31, Peters 3 1-2 8, C. Kemp 3 0-1 7, Hines 6 1-3 16, Seitz 1 0-0 2, Green 1 0-0 2,
OZARK (60) — Whatley 8 5-7 21, Engel 3 0-0 7, Sutherland 2 0-0 5, Ballard 3 2-2 11, Roberts 3 4-4 11, Garner 0 2-2 2 George 1 0-0 3.
Nixa 19 16 23 16 - 74
Ozark 10 16 12 22 - 60
3-point goals - Combs 3, Hines 3, Ballard 3, Peters, C. Kemp, Sutherland, Engel, Roberts, George.
