With many of Republic’s basketball legends looking on, the Tigers overcame a slow start Thursday to beat Reeds Spring 43-28. Jake Fletcher scored 19 points — 17 in the second half — to lead Republic. Cody Geiger scored 12, including a dunk that ignited a struggling Republic offense in the 3rd quarter.
The game was only one part of a big night for Republic basketball. The Tigers honored two-time all-state player Don Carlson, who’s fighting prostate cancer, with a Coaches vs. Cancer fundraiser. In addition, Republic honored three other players who achieved multi-year all-state honors: Jack Trogdon (1948-49), Howard Arndt (1963-65), and Nick Yocum (2011-12). Yocum received his all-state plaque between the JV and varsity games. Yocum’s coach, Gary Stanfield, presented him with his plaque. Leland Brown, the coach of the 1963 state championship team, was also recognized.
The “DC-10” event was the culmination of ten days of southwest Missouri basketball involving the Central Ozarks Conference and the Ozark Conference. Teams from the two conferences held designated fundraising games, raising money in the fight against cancer. The money raised by the events will stay in southwest Missouri.
“Unfortunately, I got prostate cancer a few months ago, but we’re getting treated for it and hanging in there, doing pretty good,” says Carlson, who was a longtime high school assistant coach in Springfield after his playing days at Republic and Southwest Missouri State.
“It’s real special,” he says of the event. “I’m very honored to be a part of the two-time all-state players. But you don’t get those honors unless you get good teammates, so this is for all of us,” Carlson says.
“It’s wonderful to be able to recognize Don, especially the trials he going through right now,” says Carlson’s teammate, Howard Arndt. “He’s got a great attitude relative to his disease, and I think the emotional support that he’s getting from all the Republic family, if you will, and current players — he was always an inspirational figure to me.
“I always looked up to Don like an older brother. He always treated me with the utmost respect. He’s one of those individuals that you run across in life that’s an inspiration to you.”
The four all-state performers were honored before the varsity game began, but the current Tigers were slow out of the gate against the 0-8 Wolves. Reeds Spring led 7-6 after one quarter. The Tigers took a 16-13 lead into the halftime break, before breaking loose in the 3rd quarter, outscoring the Wolves 16-8 to grab an 11-point lead and get some breathing room heading into the final period.
Coach Trevyor Fisher says he doesn’t know whether the festive atmosphere might have been a distraction that contributed to the Tigers’ slow start.
“We talked to our kids about not to get too caught up in the moment, with the festivities. I don’t know if that had anything to do with it or not,” says Fisher. “It’s just one of those deals where it snowballs on you. You miss a couple of layups and everyone gets a little more tense, and you miss a few more. The biggest thing I talked about at halftime was we just gotta turn up our intensity defensively and it would take care of itself, and for the most part, it did.”
With the win, Republic is now 6-1. Reeds Spring falls to 0-9. The Tigers play again next against Aurora in the opening round of the Blue & Gold Tournament after Christmas.