The Republic Lady Tigers outscored Nixa 17-2 in the 3rd quarter to pull away for a 53-31 win in the Pink and White Lady Classic semifinals.
Alice Heinzler scored 15 to lead Republic. Alex Botkin and Sarah Kreul added 12 apiece.
In the first half, Nixa’s zone defense stymied Republic and allowed the Lady Eagles to keep the score close. A big first half by Nixa’s Jeana Raper — she had 12 before the break — allowed Nixa to go into halftime trailing by only three points, 24-21.
But just as the Lady Tigers had done against Crane in the quarterfinals, they turned their defense up a notch coming out of halftime. Republic allowed only two points in the entire 3rd quarter as they built their lead to 41-23 after three periods.
Down the stretch, the Lady Tigers slowed down the pace of the game offensively, and used solid defense to seal the victory.
Republic advances to the Pink & White championship game against Branson or Skyline, scheduled for Saturday night at 8 p.m. at the O’Reilly Family Event Center at Drury University.
