Republic broke out of its offense of doldrums just in time, scoring the first 10 points of the fourth-quarter to be Branson on the road Monday, 40-29. The game was almost a replay of Saturday’s victory over Oakville, when Republic fell into a slump but broke out at the beginning of the fourth quarter to snag a victory.
The difference Monday was that Republic had managed almost no offense for the first 3/4 of the game. Branson’s match-up zone, coupled with Republic’s unforced errors, made it difficult for the Lady Tigers to get anything going on the offensive end of the floor.
“Honestly, I didn’t think that zone would give us that much trouble. It creates a little bit of havoc, but still–I thought we looked timid. I didn’t think we looked very aggressive attacking it,” said coach Kris Flood.
Republic scored four quick points early on, then went cold, failing to score for the rest of the first quarter. The game was tied 4-4 at the end of one, and it was only 13-11 Branson at halftime.
“We were fortunate they missed some easy shots to keep it a two-point game going into halftime,” Flood said.
In the second half, Flood used a smaller, quicker lineup to give his team more ability to handle the ball against Branson’s zone. He helped eliminate some of the turnovers, but Republic’s poor shooting night continued through the third quarter, even as the Lady Tigers tied the game 23-23 going into the fourth.
Jazzy Kirby hit Clara Fronabarger cutting to the bucket on Republic’s first possession of the fourth quarter, and the Lady Tigers grabbed a lead they would never relinquish. After Branson’s Chloe Grimm missed two free throws, Jazzy Kirby picked up another assist, saving the ball from going out of bounds by throwing it to Jade Kirby, who hit a layup to make the score 27-23. Republic forced a turnover on defense and Bartelsmeyer followed that up with a long three-pointer. After another forced turnover, Jade Kirby hit a three to cap the 10-0 run, putting Republic in control.
“We finally had some shots fall for us there. It was a little reminiscent of Saturday. We hit a couple of threes back-to-back, and that all of a sudden picked us up,” Flood said.
Branson didn’t score its first bucket of the fourth quarter until 2:28 remained in the game. Republic outscored Branson 17-6 in the fourth quarter.
The Lady Tigers improve to 12-6 overall. They’re 3-0 in the Central Ozark Conference, and they travel to Carthage for a COC game Thursday.Scoring
Halli Bartelsmeyer 19, Clara Fronabarger 8, Jade Kirby 8, Jazzy Kirby 3, Carle Ward 2
Farr Better Player of the Game
Halli Bartelsmeyer provide the spark on offense, scoring 19 points. Clara Fronabarger provided the spark on defense, frustrating Branson’s star guard, Priscilla Williams, all night long. They share our Farr Better Player of the Game honors.
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