The Republic Tigers dug themselves a big hole, then climbed out of it, but eventually fell to Springfield Central 51-45 Tuesday.
Central jumped out to a 10-0 lead, and Republic didn’t score its first points until Jonathan Combs hit a baseline jumper nearly six minutes into the game. At the end of the first quarter, Central led 17-4. The two teams played a more even second quarter, and the Central lead was 27-15 at the half.
After the break, Republic finally got its offense untracked behind a string of 3-pointers from Kevin Stander. The Tigers outscored Central 16-7 in the 3rd quarter, and cut the lead to 34-31.
Republic eventually tied the game with about 5 1/2 minutes remaining, 38-38. But Central grabbed the lead right back, and never relinquished it again. The Bulldogs hit their free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
Kevin Stander led all scorers with 21 points for the Tigers. He scored 17 in the 2nd half. Josh Morrow scored 11 and Jonathan Combs added 9. Central got 20 points from Nathan Wood.
The loss drops Republic to 14-4. Central improves to 9-11.
