The testaments of Nixa’s prowess from 3-point land keep coming.
There have been the season-high 17 3-pointers against Clever, the Blue & Gold Tournament record-tying 42 3s and a 10-of-12 start from beyond the arc en route to 16 3-pointers against Kickapoo.
Also, consider earlier this week Garrett Hines was shooting 48 percent on his 3-point attempts and still wasn’t the Eagles’ most accurate bomber. Josh Peters and his 50-percent 3-point accuracy is tops on the team.
Hines tried to cut into Peters’ lead by making 5-of-6 3-pointers in his 21-point night Friday in Nixa’s 82-69 COC victory versus Webb City.
“I was blown away when I found out where I was at and where Josh is at,” Hines said of their 3-point percentages. “He’s such a great shooter. 50 percent would be great to get to. I’m aiming for that. But I’m just trying to take the shots I have to take for us to win.”
Peters maintains his lead and moved a bit further above break-even by making 4-of-7 3s while scoring 14 points Friday.
"I’ve always said you need to shoot 35 percent from 3 or else you probably don’t need to be shooting them,” coach Brock Blansit said. “Anything above 40 is really good. I’ve not coached kids before with as high a 3-point shooting percentage as (Peters and Hines) and Carsten Seitz is up there close to them, too. It’s not like they’re just shooting one or two 3s a game, either. They can shoot it, no doubt about it.”
Interestingly, Hines is fresh from completing an in-season adjustment with his shooting mechanics. Under the tutelage of his father, Clayton, he’s now shooting with more arc.
“I had more of a push-shot earlier this season. Me and my Dad have been working on getting my shot a little bit higher, just so it can help me shoot over people more,” Hines said. “I’ve been tweaking with it the last couple of days. I think I’ve figured it out. We have been in the gym a lot. My Dad knows a lot about the game and has helped me tremendously.
“There have been some difficult moments and some frustration,” he added. “But I got through it. It feels great now. It was the right move to change my shot. I’m ready to catch and shoot.”
“The last couple games, he’s definitely found his groove,” Blansit said. "It’s good to see him make shots because we will need him down the stretch.”
Nixa (24-0 overall and 7-0 in the COC) outlasted Webb City, thanks to 13-of-26 3-point shooting. The Cardinals actually had 30 field goals to the Eagles’ 26, but were outscored 39-9 on 3s and 17-6 on free throws.
Nixa spotted Webb City leads of 11-4, 17-11 and 32-23. The Eagles went on a 31-13 run over the final few minutes of the second quarter and the first few minutes of the third quarter to take command with a 54-45 lead.
“The second quarter seems like a struggle for us sometimes,” Blansit said. “We’ve been a second-half team. I don’t know why that it is.”
Kael Combs' stats line read 25 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, four turnovers, two blocks and one steal.
Nixa clinched at least a share of the COC championship, while holding a two-game lead on second-place Republic (21-3 and 5-2). The Eagles can claim the league title outright with a win Tuesday at Branson.
Nixa’s COC winning streak is up to 31 games.
Overall, the Eagles have won 36 of their last 37 games dating back to last season.
Blansit is anxious for the voting at the Class 6 District 5 seedings meeting Wednesday and to see what matchups will unfold
“Every coach secretly has somebody they would rather play,” he said.
Nixa 82, Webb City 69
\WEBB CITY (69) — Adams 2-6 0-0 6, Pace 9-13 2-5 20, Keith 4-10 0-0 8, Duda 6-13 3-6 15, Martin 7-11 1-3 15, Jackson 1-6 0-1 2, Spieker 1-2 0-0 2.
NIXA (82) — Green 0-3 0-0 0, Tyler 0-1 0-0 0, McCoy 3-5 0-0 7, D. Kemp 1-4 3-4 6, Seitz 1-3 0-0 3, Combs 6-8 12-14 25, C. Kemp 3-5 0-2 6, Hines 7-9 2-4 21, Peters 5-10 0-0 14.
Webb City 21 17 13 18 - 69
Nixa 18 22 23 19 - 82
3-point goals - Hines 5, Peters 4, Adams 2, McCoy, D. Kemp, Combs, Seitz, Duda.
