CARTHAGE — Nixa senior forward Jason Jones admittedly wasn't a contact player during his formative years. Long and lanky but lacking muscle, he sought and found open space on the court and ultimately found his niche.
"When I was younger and a little bit weaker, I was more comfortable shooting when I didn't get bumped," Jones said. "So, instead of going inside and getting bumped and fouled, I felt comfortable shooting mid-range. Now, I have that in my bag."
Shooting where the great majority of his cohorts don't, Jones put up a career-high 24 points to power Nixa past Joplin 76-51 in the semifinal round of the Carthage Tournament on Friday.
Jones swished jumper after jumper from 8-10 feet out. It was an old-school performance that maybe even Joplin coach Jeff Hafer could appreciate a bit, perhaps reminding him of his own playing days as a similar scorer at Mizzou in the late 1990s.
"3s and layups, that's what the game is today," Jones said. "People normally don't take mid-range shots. Defenses kind of give you the mid-range shot, so I've always taken it."
"I think what helps him a lot is no one really shoots mid-range anymore," Nixa guard Colin Ruffin said. "Everyone's shooting either layups or 3s. But his mid-range game is unbelievable."
Jones, who has 54 points in Nixa's 3-0 start, appears well on his way to tapping into his potential and putting together a breakout season. He's played regularly since his sophomore season, but only had brief moments of brilliance the past two seasons.
Coach Jay Osborne feels the 6-foot-7 Jones has held himself back at times.
"It's all mindset with him," Osborne said. "We talk to him all the time about getting aggressive. When he's aggressive, he's really good and one our best players. When he's passive, he's just a mediocre player."
"He's always trying to get the best out of us," Jones said when asked about conversations he and Osborne have had about his aggressiveness. "I feel like I'm laid-back. I try to get along with all of my teammates and build friendships. I try to be on the same page as everyone. I feel like I have a bigger role on the team this year and I'm ready for it. Lately, I've been able to (be more aggressive). I hope to continue that."
Jones certainly didn't hesitate with the ball in his hands against Joplin. He was quick to make moves to shoot. His aggressive nature wasn't a surprise to his teammates.
"We're always in the gym together and have really good chemistry," said Ruffin, who is one of Jones' best friends. "He's chill. We don't ever argue. We always talk things out. He might have friends on the other team. But once we hit the court, we switch gears. I think he can be very aggressive. In the first half tonight, he was getting every rebound."
Jones and center Jaret Nelson owned the paint. Nelson added 16 points.
Joplin (3-1) wasn't able to keep pace with Nixa, even while having success from 3-point land. Joplin made 11 treys, with All Right hitting six 3-pointers.
After Joplin led 19-15, Nixa held a 61-36 advantage the rest of the night.
"We found their weak spot, which is their interior defense," Osborne said. "They just don't have the manpower to match up with our 'bigs.' We were smart enough to figure that out and went there."
"It had a lot to do with our guards penetrating and dumping it off to us and the coaches recognized we had a mismatch inside," Nelson said. "Once we got the ball inside, it was our job to score. It was good execution by everybody."
Nelson showed off a hook shot, both right- and left-handed. He continues to make dramatic progress, after sitting out last season.
"At the beginning of the season, I relied on shooting layups," Nelson said. "But I knew I had to go hard in the paint and make sure I was getting my work in with my moves in the post, so they would gradually come back to me."
The mid-range and post scoring eventually freed up Nixa's perimeter shooters. Ruffin netted a trio of 3-pointers and finished with 13 points.
A matchup of last season's co-COC champions gradually become a blowout.
"When we're passing it to the post, (defenses) are going to have to double-team in the post," Ruffin said. "If they do, we're going to kick it back out and we get 3s."
Nixa advances to meet Raymore-Peculiar in the tourney's title tilt today at 3:30 p.m.
Nixa last won a championship game during the 2017-18 season, when the Eagles took the Nixa Invitational Tournament title.
Nixa played in the championship game of the NIT last season, as well, but lost to Parkview. The Eagles fell to Mountain Grove in the Blue Division final at the Blue & Gold Tournament in 2017.
"We need to get a tournament championship," Osborne said.
Nixa 76, Joplin 55
NIXA (76) — Ruffin 4 2-4 13, Turner 3 1-1 8, Sorgenfrei 3 0-0 7, Wofford 2 0-0 5, Nelson 8 0-1 16, Jones 10 4-6 24, Berry 1 1-2 3. Totals 31 9-14 76.
JOPLIN (55) — Alw. Wright 4 0-0 9, Wilder 1 0-0 3, Al. Wright 9 1-1 25, Washington 2 0-0 4, Simmons 1 0-0 3, Wampner 2 0-0 6, Atherson 2 1-2 5. Totals 21 2-3 55.
Nixa 15 21 20 20 – 76
Joplin 19 12 17 7 – 55
3-point goals – Al. Wright 6, Ruffin 3, Wampner 2, Alw. Wright, Wilder, Simmons, Turner, Sorgenfrei, Wofford.
