The case of the missing offense is officially solved. Republic went on the road in front of a packed house in Marshfield and ran away from the Blue Jays 72-56.
“We extended our defense 84 feet and got some immediate results, and it probably fueled our offense,” said coach Gary Stanfield.
Marshfield came into the game seeking revenge for a two-point loss in the Blue and Gold Tournament semifinals. But it was Republic who charged out with something to prove, having lost four of its last five games. The Tigers bolted to a 19-4 lead, then answered a Marshfield run that closed the gap to one point, 33-32 at halftime.
Coming out of the break, Nick Yocum hit a 3-pointer and Marcus Miller converted a traditional three-point play. Marshfield closed the gap to six points briefly, but the Tigers were off to the races from there.
Republic built its lead to 51-40 going into the fourth quarter, then scored seven straight to start the final period, stretching the lead to 18 at one point.
Five Tigers scored in double figures. Yocum led the way with 21 points, including five 3-pointers. Four of those 3-pointers came in the 1st quarter.
Marcus Miller and Jake Fletcher had 13 apiece. Payton Looney scored 11 and Cody Geiger added 10.
The result is another key victory against a district opponent for Republic, who has defeated Marshfield twice, and Hillcrest and Rogersville once.
“Somebody is going to be up on the top, and everyone else is going to be clawing and trying to knock them down,” said Stanfield. “We’re struggling to get ourselves back in a position that we want to be in.”