Ace Akers picked up Friday at Neosho where he left off Thursday at home by leading Nixa past Neosho 58-30 in what was coach Jay Osborne's 600th career victory.

Osborne improves to 600-231 lifetime in his 30 seasons coaching. He is 537-205 in 27 seasons with the Eagles, after being 63-26 in three seasons with Pleasant Hope.

The combination of Akers' 3-point shooting and Nixa's defense helped make for a relatively easy victory for the Eagles. The Wildcats managed just seven points in the first half.

Nixa was up 23-7 at intermission and 42-19 through three quarters. 

Akers, fresh from a 25-point outing versus Ozark on Thursday, netted 14 points over the first three periods. He finished with a team-high 17 points, while Luke Roemen added 13.

The Eagles (14-12 overall and 6-3 in the COC) assured themselves of a winning record and moved into a third-place tie with Ozark in the COC.

Nixa and Ozark (16-10 and 5-3) meet in a Class 5 District 11 semifinal at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Kickapoo.