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2020 Blue and Gold Tournament: Hartville wins second-straight Blue Division title

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When the Hartville Eagles won the Blue Division championship a year ago, it was its first Blue and Gold Tournament title since 1996.

The Eagles didn't have to wait nearly as long for one this time.

Top-seeded Hartville repeated as Blue Division champions with a 57-46 win over second-seed Nixa on Thursday afternoon at JQH Arena.

The combination of seniors Ryce Piper, Braden Branstetter and Cody Mahan set the tone for Hartville throughout the game — each scoring double-digits. Hartville's ball control in the fourth quarter prevented any chance at a Nixa comeback as it played keep-away and made shots at the free-throw line when it needed to.