Who knew Lebanon was part of the Class 6 District 5 field a year ago?
The Yellowjackets, indeed, were a first-round foe, at least on paper, for No. 1-seeded Nixa at this time last season and quickly bowed out with a 93-17 setback.
With Ozark filling the District’s No. 8 seed this week, it’s hard to imagine another such first-round mismatch for top-seeded Nixa. But even with the Tigers serving as the District host, expectations are for the Eagles to emerge victorious in the teams’ 4 p.m. matchup Wednesday.
Ozark coach Mark Schweitzer is emphasizing to his players that they can dribble, run, pass and shoot without any outside pressure to win.
“We just need to play loose and give the greatest team effort we can give,” Schweitzer said. “Nobody expects us to win. We are an eight seed versus an undefeated opponent. I want my kids to compete as hard as they can and enjoy playing this great game.”
Nixa coach Brock Blansit also wants his players to play relaxed and at the same pace they are accustomed to.
“We strive to always play fast and have fun. Nothing will change just because it's Districts,” he said.
Without trying to add any undue hype to the Ozark-Nixa matchup, the Tigers (12-14) have to be considered as dangerous a No. 8 seed as one will find in any District statewide. This is the first Ozark team to be below .500 at this juncture in Schweitzer’s 10 seasons as Ozark’s head coach. But the Tigers won eight of their final 10 regular-season games and completed a slate that included 18 opponents with a winning record.
“We have quite the challenge ahead of us. That being said, we like challenges,” Schweitzer said. “We have dealt with them all year with one of the toughest schedules you could find — we’ve only played five home games (and) all the close games we lost early. This is just another challenge presented to us and I’m confident our kids will meet it head on and give their best.”
An all-too common misnomer that has been stated repeatedly of late is Ozark is the District’s hottest team. Not true. Nixa, of course, has won 26 straight games.
“Nixa has had an unbelievable season," Schweitzer said. “They have an unbelievable talent in Kael Combs (and) a ton of guys that can fill it up around him. They are just a really good team that is well coached.”
Schweitzer credits Blansit for the smooth transition he has made from assistant to head coach.
“Brock has done an awesome job and I knew he would,” Schweitzer said. “I knew Nixa would not miss a beat. Brock and (assistant Andrew) Boyce have been at Nixa the entire 16 years I have been at Ozark, dating back to my freshman coaching days. He and I have always discussed the local basketball scene throughout the season for years. He’s a very intelligent basketball mind and Nixa players have always seemed to enjoy his presence on their bench.
“They have a ton of talent at every level in Nixa and Brock has always done a great job of getting their talent to buy in and play together,” he added. “I think the results speak for themselves on the job he has done this year. He’s a great coach and now is his time to display that for everyone to see. His vision of how to use Kael and the pieces around him is unbeaten and he deserves a lot of credit for putting his players in position to be successful.”
Blansit passes along praise for Schweitzer, as well.
“Ozark is playing extremely well and Mark does a great job with his team,” Blansit said. “I’ve always said Mark is one of the best coaches in the area. He does a great job and his teams are always prepared.”
Nixa owns streaks of success against everyone in the field. With six of the eight teams hailing from the COC, it’s worth noting the Eagles have won 32 straight COC games. They have won their last four matchups with Ozark and their last three contests against Kickapoo.
The rest of the District is made up of No. 2 seed Kickapoo (18-8), No. 3 Republic (23-3), No. 4 Joplin (16-9), No. 5 Springfield Central (15-9), No. 6 Neosho (19-7) and No. 7 Carthage (14-11).
The District’s dates are Wednesday, Friday and Monday, with semifinal tip-offs Friday at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and the championship game Monday will start at 6 p.m.
