OZARK — Down 10 at the end of the first quarter, Kickapoo girls basketball standout Mikayla Pilley was held without a point and in danger of having her senior season end prematurely.
In those moments, Pilley’s experience kicked in. She’s learned from the best when it’s time to lead. She saw it during last year’s state runner-up run from Kya Johnson. She saw it as a freshman during Kickapoo’s 2022 state runner-up finish from Bella Fontleroy.
Pilley knew it was time to put her head down and work hard to come back and pull off the victory. That’s what Johnson and Fontleroy would have done before her.
Pilley scored 11 of her game-high 19 points in the second quarter as a part of a 20-0 run, lifting Kickapoo to a 53-44 win over Nixa in Ozark on Tuesday night for its seventh district title in eight years. It also avenged the Lady Chiefs’ lone Central Ozark Conference loss during the regular season.
“We had something to prove this game,” Pilley said. “We just came together as a team instead of being one that breaks apart. I’m proud of us.”
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Kickapoo coach Leslie Hanchey, who is headed to her second state quarterfinal in as many years since taking over as Lady Chiefs coach, said Pilley has upped her leadership to another level since the postseason began. Kickapoo dominated its way through the district with a pair of wins that were by 36 points or more before facing state-ranked Nixa in the championship.
Pilley has always been one to tell Hanchey that she didn’t want the team to take any days off. If Hanchey even brought up the idea of only watching film rather than getting shots up in the gym, Pilley stepped in and made sure the Lady Chiefs were practicing.
“She’s realized that it’s ‘win or go home,'” Hanchey said. “She’s really embraced being the vocal leader, even when she’s not comfortable with it. I’ve seen in these last three games that she’s getting everybody together and making sure everybody’s on the same page. Then she does the basketball stuff she always does.”
The “basketball stuff she always does” was on full-display throughout Kickapoo’s comeback, which saw it take control midway through the second quarter and for the rest of the night. She often got tough layups to fall, locked down players on a high-scoring Nixa offense, and was the first one to encourage teammates when called upon.
Pilley has attempted to follow in the previous great Lady Chiefs’ footsteps while turning into one herself.
“One of the things that I’ve been trying to do is grow as much as possible,” Pilley said. “It’s being a leader. I’m just trying to do my part and make an impact on the younger players that we have.”
Since her freshman year, Pilley has been touted as one of the toughest defenders in the Ozarks. She’s taken bigger steps each year, turning into the best player on a state runner-up team by her junior season. The 5-foot-11 guard will continue to develop her skills at Division II Fort Hays State in the coming years but hopes to have three more games in a Lady Chiefs uniform to play before then.
Kickapoo will host Lee’s Summit West in Saturday’s Class 6 quarterfinal at a time yet to be determined. If the Lady Chiefs win, they will make their fourth semifinal appearance in five years.
Pilley was hoisted onto the shoulders of her teammates as they celebrated a district championship in the student section. She held the trophy over her head, like she remembered Fontleroy and Johnson do in the years before, taking in a moment that her younger teammates will try to replicate in the years to come.
“I’ve watched a lot of great players ahead of me who were able to receive that trophy and hold it over their heads,” Pilley said. “That was something I’ve been dreaming about since I was in eighth grade. It really meant a lot to me.”
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Kickapoo girls basketball rallies to beat Nixa for district championship
