With a stifling defense forcing early turnovers, the Kickapoo Lady Chiefs jumped to an early lead in the Class 6 District 5 championship game on Friday, but Nixa refused to go away.

The Lady Eagles regrouped at the break and then outscored Kickapoo in the second half, but it wasn't enough to overcome the early deficit as Kickapoo won a low-scoring title game, 45-36, at Republic High School.

Kickapoo senior Josie Salazar said the key was forcing Nixa into mistakes with Kickapoo's defensive pressure.

"Defense is what we work on most every single day, because you can always rely on defense," Salazar said. "Today, we were having a little bit of a struggle making our layups, but if you get a stop on defense and get points in transition, then it boosts morale. It gets everyone going. It gives us energy. So it's the number one important thing."

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