The Tigers dropped five three-pointers on a shellshocked Cassville defense in the first quarter, and sprinted to a 67-26 win Tuesday night.
Republic ended the game with eight treys overall, including six in the first half. Five of those were from Jake Fletcher, who led the Tigers with a game-high 20 points.
“We were fortunate to make enough shots in that first quarter — I don’t know if we missed, really,” says coach Trevyor Fisher. “I’m not sure if the defensive intensity was there to start the game, but our offense kind of carried us through it.”
Republic had a big size advantage, but didn’t need to rely on its inside play because of its sharpshooting from the outside. In addition to Fletcher’s three bombs in the first quarter, Ty Abney and Dylan Bekemeier added one apiece.
Marcus Miller and Cody Geiger each had 12 points, and eight other players scored for the Tigers.
Republic led 25-11 after the first quarter, 47-18 at halftime, and 63-22 after three.
The Tigers improve to 5-0. Cassville falls to 1-1.