CARTHAGE — Just when things finally got going good for Nixa and actually just when things were also going good for Joplin, the teams' semifinal clash at the Carthage Tournament on Friday became a standstill and a free-throw contest.
Nixa endured a scoreless fourth quarter, after Joplin held the ball for five-plus minutes in the fourth quarter en route to a 49-40 victory.
Nixa had went up by six points midway through the third quarter, before Joplin rallied to take a three-point lead. In an effort to induce Nixa out of its zone defense, Joplin coach Jeff Hafer pulled his guards out to half-court and had them hold onto the ball. After nearly four minutes of idle time, Nixa extended and proceeded to purposely foul to get Joplin in the bonus.
Joplin clinched its win by making 7-of-10 free throws in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Nixa was 0-of-5 at the foul line over the final eight minutes.
"It had just got exciting," Nixa guard Josh Mason said, referring to the teams trading the lead at the end of the third quarter. "I think we need a shot clock. Just standing there is not really basketball. I don't like it when that happens. It's early in the season, nobody wants to watch that and nobody wants to play that."
"They were trying to get us out of our zone, so they were swinging it around and then they realized after a couple of passes that if they held the ball for a while they could probably get time off the clock," Nixa guard Kaleb Wofford added. "You can't really blame them for doing it and they hit their free throws."
Big-picture thinking, it's debatable if Joplin improved in a non-conference, December contest by standing still. Nixa coach Jay Osborne left no doubt he wouldn't have employed such strategy if the roles were reversed, but added he could hardly criticize Hafer given the final outcome.
"To me, if you have better talent you don't hold the ball. But they won the game. I got outcoached," Osborne said. "They've got better athletes and it's the first or second week of December, but whatever, they won the game and it worked. It's not my decision. That's his call. He can do whatever he wants with his team.
"I didn't think we could come out and guard them 35 feet from the hole," he added. "They're quicker and better ball-handlers. I thought we would give up some layups. We took our chances and put them at the free-throw line and they made four in a row at one point."
For the full recap, click here.
NIXA (40) — Combs 1 2-2 5, Mason 6 3-7 17, Wofford 4 0-0 11, Jones 2 1-4 5, Engelman 1 0-0 2. Totals 14 6-13 40.
JOPLIN (49) — Westmoreland 6 0-1 12, Allen 2 3-5 7, Hafer 1 2-2 5, Wright 1 4-6 7, Davis 7 0-0 15, Meeks 1 0-0 3. Totals 18 9-14 49.
Nixa 11 9 20 0 - 40
Joplin 18 8 15 8 - 49
3-point goals - Wofford 3, Mason 2, Combs, Meeks, Hafer, Wright, Davis.
