During an 11-game winning streak for Nixa against Rogersville the past 10 years, the Eagles couldn't have set themselves up for success much better than they did Thursday while seeing that streak come to an end.

Nixa forced 11 Rogersville turnovers, attempted 11 more free throws than the Wildcats shot and held all-stater Luke Vandersnick scoreless over a 15-minute stretch in the second half.

Somehow, it all added up to a 55-49 Nixa loss to Rogersville in a strange second-round Blue Division game at the Blue & Gold Tournament.

The rest of the story reveals the Eagles failed to convert a single point off of the Wildcats' 11 turnovers, made only 15-of-27 free throws and didn't employ the same kind of defensive intensity on Vandersnick's teammates as they did on him.

"We make our free throws, we have a chance to win the game," Nixa coach Jay Osborne said. "15-of-27 from the line doesn't win you many games. We can't miss that many free throws."

The Eagles also repeatedly didn't finish on layups, after forcing Wildcats turnovers on their side of the floor.

"From game to game, we seem to take simple, power layups and turn them into some sort of acrobatic show and don't convert," Osborne said. "When our guys learn to make the game simple, I think we'll have more success."

Rogersville survived a four-point third quarter and finished with a 27-point fourth quarter. The Wildcats exploded offensively over the final quarter, despite Vandersnick only making two free throws with :30 remaining. 

He had 17 points in the first half. 

To his credit, he didn't force shots, opting instead to give teammates opportunities. Ryker Strong response with 15 points in the fourth quarter.

Nixa will play in the fifth place semifinals vs Fair Grove on day three of the Blue and Gold. Tip-off is at 2 p.m. in the Hammons Student Center.

For the full story, click here.
 

Dana Harding, for Ozark Sports Zone

Springfield, Mo. — Rogersville head coach John Schaefer needed a big finish in Thursday's Blue Division quarterfinal in order to stay alive in the bracket.

His Wildcats responded in a big way.

Down 32-28 heading into the final quarter, the No. 6 Wildcats poured in 27 points and 9 of 10 free throws to upset No. 3 Nixa 55-49.

"We talk about it all the time," Schaefer said. "The three most important things in basketball are defense, rebounding and free throws. We felt like we did all those tonight and found ourselves on top."

Rogersville senior Luke Vandersnick set the tone early for the Wildcats, scoring 12 of his game-high 19 points in the first quarter with aggressive moves to the basket.

"I was just going out there, playing hard and attacking the rim to see if I could get to my shot," Vandersnick said. "I could, so I kept doing that every possession."

The 6-foot-5 Vandersnick picked up right where he left off in the second quarter with an alley-oop dunk in the opening seconds to key a 5-0 run and 21-14 Rogersville lead.

For the full recap and video highlights, click here.

For game photos, click here.
 

Day 3 Updated Blue and Gold Bracket, Dec. 28