The 2026 Class 6 District 5 boys basketball tournament bracket and seeds have been released.

The district features Branson, Glendale, Joplin, Kickapoo, Neosho, Nixa, Ozark, and Republic.

Kickapoo is the tournament host, and all games will be played at Kickapoo High School. The opening round is scheduled for March 3, the semifinals on March 5, and the championship on March 7.

Nixa concluded the regular season with a 21-5 record, finishing 10-3 in conference play (east and west), earning the No. 3 seed in the tournament.

With the exception of Branson, the Eagles faced each district foe and defeated Joplin (78-46), Neosho (84-57), and Republic (51-39). 

Nixa will play No. 6 Neosho (17-9) in the quarterfinals at 8:30 p.m. The two teams clashed to conclude the regular season, and the Eagles defeated the Wildcats 84-57.

Dating back to 2009 in the MSHSAA record books, the Eagles have never lost to Neosho and currently own an all-time record of 20-0 against the Wildcats.

Other first-round matchups entail No. 1 Kickapoo (21-5) vs. No. 8 Joplin (11-15) at 4 p.m., No. 4 Republic (18-8) vs. No. 5 Ozark (18-7) at 5:30 p.m., and No. 2 Glendale (18-7) vs. No. 7 Branson (16-10) at 7 p.m.

Along with Nixa, Kickapoo is the other team ranked by the MBCA at No. 4. They enter the tournament on an 11-game winning streak.

To view and download the district bracket, click here.

Admission throughout the tournament is $6 and must be purchased digitally via MSHSAA's website here.

All games will be live video broadcasted, per MSHSAA's requirements for a PPV fee of $10, on MSHSAA.tv here.

There will also be a free audio-only cast on Nixa's YouTube channel here. 



Recaps:

Quarterfinal:

Nixa won the opening tip, scored the first bucket, and quickly went on a 14-0 run to cruise by Neosho 71-40.  Head Coach Brock Blansit earned his 100th career victory as the Eagles advanced to the semifinals vs. Branson. 

Three Eagles scored in double figures: Adam McKnight (18), Ty Kellis (15), and Randy Flint (15). Five additional Eagles tallied the scoresheet. 

The Eagles connected on nine 3-pointers, four of which came from Kellis. 

Box Score:
Nixa 20 | 12 | 20 | 19 | 71
Neosho 7 | 12 | 13 | 8 | 40

Nixa Scoring: Adam McKnight 18, Ty Kellis 15, Randy Flint 15, Colt McCoy 8, Owen Seitz 7, Logan Presson 5, Jaylon Liddell 2, Matthan Ajayi 1

Click here to view game photos.