The Pink & White Lady Classic’s loss may be the Nixa Invitational Tournament’s gain.
The Pink & White opted not to make possible a matchup between Nixa coach Jenny Talbert and her former players at Fair Grove last month, with Nixa assigned to the White Division and Fair Grove put in the Pink Division.
“I didn't really care what happened,” Talbert said when asked if she was relieved she didn’t have to coach against Fair Grove at the Pink & White. “It's basketball, you know at some point you're going to have to play each other.”
This week’s NIT could offer a Nixa-Fair Grove matchup, if both teams make it to the championships game. Talbert’s current team and her former team are on opposite sides of the bracket.
If things go as Talbert hopes, she will coach against Fair Grove in the final.
“I will root for them in every game, but when they’re playing the Nixa Lady Eagles,” Talbert said. “An Eagles championship game, as long as the red Eagles win, I'm good with that.
“It would definitely be odd,” she added. “But I think it would be a fun atmosphere and a really good game between two good teams."
Talbert’s 13th and final season at Fair Grove a year ago saw her lead the Lady Eagles to a Class 3 state championship.
Talbert wasn’t hired at Nixa until July, thus she made up Fair Grove's 2023-24 schedule and signed the Lady Eagles up for the NIT. She didn’t back away from presenting Fair Grove a formidable slate.
Fair Grove, with an enrollment of 287, will be the smallest school at the NIT. Cape Notre Dame is at 300 and California 319.
This season, Fair Grove (12-3) has split two games with El Dorado Springs (11-2) and lost to Columbia Rock Bridge (11-3) and Kickapoo (12-1).
Nixa (10-3) tips off the NIT against Francis Howell Central (7-1) in the first round at 4 p.m. Thursday. Other first-round matchups are Notre Dame (7-5) against Republic (8-4), Marshfield (11-3) against California (9-5) and Fair Grove against Jefferson City Helias Catholic (9-4).
“I think our local teams in the tournament are really good, as well as the out of area teams,” Talbert said. “It will be a fun tournament.”
Nixa last won the NIT in 2019.
After the NIT, Nixa will play at California next week in the first of five road games for the Lady Eagles.
