Anxious and awake, Ace Akers ably arrived attentive, armed and aiming, and after ascending, added an accepting and accomplished attitude.

All alliteration aside, it was a straight-A's kind of night for Akers Thursday. The Nixa guard exploded for six 3-pointers that led to 25 points in the Eagles' 66-62 triumph over Ozark.

Akers had four 3s as part of a 29-point Nixa third quarter.

All this after Akers endured a restless night's sleep.  

"I remember laying in bed last night and thinking that I couldn't go to sleep," Akers said. "I bet it was (after midnight) before I went to sleep. I couldn't go to bed because I was ready for this game. I was ready to get after it with these guys."

Even though he lost some sleep, adrenaline still kicked in early for him.

"I was ready to go from the time I woke up," Akers said.

Nixa coach Jay Osborne was just as delighted with Akers' enthusiasm as he was with his shooting. 

"That's music to my ears," Osborne said upon learning of Akers' trouble sleeping because he was anxious to play his team's biggest rival. "Some of the things high school players have lost over the years during my career is the passion and excitement for a game like this. They play so many games year-round that they kind of get numb to it. So for a kid to say that brings a smile to my face because you've got to have passion in your effort."

Never mind that this was labeled the Ozark-Nixa game that didn't really count ahead of their Class 5 District 11 matchup next Tuesday. Akers and everyone on hand created a festive and feisty atmosphere. The student sections on both sides were 15-20 rows deep.

"Before the game, the crowd was getting me motivated," Akers said. "I love this kind of atmosphere. It gets me pumped up."

He never lost his focus.

For the full game recap, click here.