WILLARD — With and without Kael Combs, Nixa received resounding results from its 2-3 zone defense Friday.
The Eagles limited Springfield Central to eight fourth quarter points and broke away for a 67-52 semifinal victory at the Willard Tournament.
A halftime hunch led to Nixa coach Brock Blansit switching his Eagles from a man-to-man defense to a 2-3 zone in the early going of the third quarter.
Central managed just eight points in the fourth quarter and only two points over the final four minutes. Nixa closed with a 12-2 run.
“I was extremely pleased with the zone,” Blansit said. “They are so quick. We struggled guarding them in our man. We couldn’t keep them in front of us. They’re a nightmare to defend.
“We had worked on our zone a little bit, probably not as much as we should have. But it looked really good,” he added. “It slowed them down. It made them pass the ball a little more than they wanted to. They like to play fast. It also kept us from fouling. We had got in foul trouble in our man.”
Blansit will give the zone more of a priority during upcoming practices.
“We have worked on it some, not as much as we’re going to in the next few weeks,” he said. “These guys have all run this zone the last few years. It’s not something we just put in.”
Combs felt the Eagles handled their responsibilities well in the zone.
“I think we trusted each other in the zone,” Combs said. “We knew each other was going to be in the right spot. It settled us down. We knew we could depend on someone else. We weren’t sitting on an island in a man-to-man.”
Nixa’s foul trouble that Blansit referred to revolved around Combs. He picked up his fourth foul with 6:52 remaining and the Eagles holding a 50-44 lead. He returned at the 4:01 mark and Nixa up 55-50.
Less than a minute after Combs made his return, Nixa had a slight scare when a whistle was blown as Combs tried to reach for an offensive rebound in between two Central defenders.
“I was a little nervous. But I kind of knew they were going to call it against them,” Combs said. “(A Central defender) was pushing down my whole lower body. I knew (the refs) were probably going to get it right."
“It was a great call,” Blansit said. “A lot of times they are going to call over the back. That’s the easy call to make. But (the Central player) literally had a hold of (Combs’) arm.”
For the Eagles’ supporting cast, it was a mixed bag during Combs' absence. They enjoyed high-percentage shots after beating Central’s pressure and also endured shaky ball-handling and turnovers while succumbing to the Bulldogs’ pressure.
Good and bad, Blansit said the experience will benefit Nixa’s many newcomers to prime time.
“We don’t see a lot of pressure like that. They’re one of the few teams in the area who can really get after you,” he said. “They bring wave after wave. They keep coming at you hard. Win or lose, that game is better than beating somebody else by 40. This is the kind of game that we need to play to make us better throughout the season.”
Combs scored 27 points, as he responds exceptionally well to his move to point guard.
“He’s showing his playmaking ability. You kind of just turn him loose,” Blansit said.
Josh Peters netted 17 points while displaying an inside and outside game.
Nixa advances to meet Bolivar in the tourney’s title tilt at 7:30 tonight. It will feature Combs and Kyle Pock in a premier matchup in these parts. Regardless of the outcome, both the Eagles and Liberators likely will be the No. 1 seeds for the Blue & Gold Tournament.
Nixa 67, Central 52
CENTRAL (52) — Epps 2 0-1 5, Starks-Fewell 2 1-3 6, Vincent 3 0-3 7, Wells 7 1-6 17, Walker 4 4-4 12, Laurie 2 1-2 5.
NIXA (67) — Combs 7 11-17 25, C. Kemp 1 0-0 2, Engelman 2 2-3 6, Peters 4 7-7 17, Hines 1 4-6 7, McCoy 2 0-0 4, Seitz 2 0-0 4, D. Kemp 1 0-0 2.
Central 13 13 18 8 - 52
Nixa 15 13 18 21 - 67
3-point goals - Peters 2, Wells 2, Epps, Hines, Vincent, Starks-Fewell.
