Republic held most of Strafford’s offense in check all night. But they couldn’t stop Conner Wilson — especially at several key points in the second half — as Strafford beat the Tigers 52-47 in the 2nd round of the Blue and Gold Tournament. Wilson scored 23 points for the Indians, who advance to the Gold Division semifinals.
Republic was behind 2-0 before the clock even started to run. The Tigers were assessed a technical foul because the numbers from their road uniforms were entered into the official scorebook — even though the Tigers were wearing their home white uniforms. Coach Gary Stanfield took the blame, calling it a “coach’s error.”
The Tigers got 25 points from Kevin Stander, who also had seven steals. His hot shooting in the first half helped Republic erase an early deficit and take a brief lead late in the second quarter. Strafford led 25-24 at halftime.
In the second half, Strafford’s defensive pressure caused more problems for Republic, forcing nine Tiger turnovers. Foul trouble for Republic allowed Strafford to get to the free throw line in the 4th quarter and put the game away. Republic cut the lead to one point with about four minutes left, but never got any closer.
In addition to Stander’s 25 points, Jonathan Combs scored 8 points for the Tigers. Dylan Fletcher scored 6, Josh Morrow had 4, and Brodie Thompson had 2.
