In recent history, Kickapoo vs. Nixa has been a bigger basketball rivalry than any in southwest Missouri. Any time the two teams are scheduled to play, all eyes turn to the matchup. 

However, the rivalry has not been near as close as one would expect. 

Going into the 2022 edition, the Chiefs had won the last twelve meetings, some in dominating fashion. Kickapoo has also ended the Eagles' season three years in a row.

Nixa found it's winning ways in this matchup though, defeating the Chiefs 65-60 for the first time since 2015.

It was a heated game, not only with the play on the court but the fan atmosphere as well. 

Nixa's shooting issues were glaringly obvious entering the huge district matchup. The Eagles shot a combined 41-70 from the free-throw line during the Tournament of Champions. 

Coach Osborne however said he had confidence that his guys would fix it at the completion of the tournament.

"We have good shooters, I'm not worried about it. What we are going to do is stop talking about it, it'll fix itself," he said.

Not talking about the problem seemed to pay off down the stretch as the Eagles shot 12-16 including 7-8 from the line in overtime to finish off the state-ranked Chiefs.

A big-time player in the matchup was Jordyn Turner. Recently, Turner had earned a spot in the starting lineup and showed why he deserved to be there in his performance vs. the Chiefs. 

Turner was lighting it up from all over the court on Tuesday, taking shots from well beyond the arc. He finished with 15 points and 5-for-7 from the three-point line. His biggest three came at the beginning of overtime, where he set the tone by draining a three to give the Eagles a 58-55 lead.

With 51 seconds left, trailing by three, the Chiefs would foul Jaret Nelson. Nelson split the attempts, increasing the lead to two possessions. Nixa would get the stop they needed and Colin Ruffin connected on two free throws. Jackson Bell put the finishing touches on the game with a pair of his own.

It was Ruffin who led the way scoring in the game. The senior guard went for 24 points, another masterful performance in a dominating season. When the Eagles needed a bucket, they turned to him. Countless times Ruffin would drive to the basket and finish through contact.

A huge key to the game was holding four-star recruit, Zaide Lowery, to just eight points. Nixa forced Lowery to shoot over the top of help defenders all night, making every shot a tough one.

Nixa wins a key district matchup and moves to 13-2. They will take a week off before hosting another district opponent in Springfield Central.