The Nixa Eagles had less than 24 hours to shake off the disappointment of a Blue & Gold Tournament semifinal upset and prepare to play in the third-place game.

Despite a short bench and tired legs, the Eagles bounced back to defeat Rogersville 55-46 Dec. 29 and claim the Gold Division third-place trophy.

"I thought it wasn't a pretty win, but we had some kids gut it out," Nixa coach Jay Osborne said. "I know they were tired and Rogersville plays that slow-down game, so we were out chasing and defending cutters. We're not real deep right now. We basically played six kids tonight, so I respect that. I think we'll be better because of it."

Nixa led wire-to-wire in the win, getting a trio of 3-pointers – two from Evan Bergmann and one from Seth Viebrock – to take a 13-5 lead after one quarter. Drew Canady connected on two long-range jumpers as the Eagles were on top 24-19 at the break. The Eagles knocked down six 3-pointers in the first half after hitting just two in the semifinals.

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