A 21-0 run in the middle of the first half helped Republic sprint past Aurora in the opener of the Blue & Gold Tournament, 64-25
The Tigers trailed 6-4 with 3:41 left in the first quarter before a rain of three-pointers helped Republic score 21 straight points. The Tigers made six treys in the first half and eight in the game.
“Our defense was able to create some of our offense, especially early,” says coach Trevyor Fisher. “We made them turn it over and it kind of got us going.”
Jake Fletcher led the Tigers with 17 points and fellow guard Canyon Smith had 14.
“It’s always nice when you’ve got guys who can step in there and make shots, especially when they’re packing it in and taking away our big guys,” says Fisher. “That’s where we’ve been successful to start the year, is throwing the ball inside, so they tried to take that away, and those guys did a good job of hitting some shots.”
On the inside, Marcus Miller had 12 points and Grant Hancock added nine for the Tigers.
The score was 39-16 at halftime, and Republic didn’t let up in the second half. The Tigers scored 10 of the first 12 points in the 3rd quarter to stretch the lead to 49-18.
Republic advances to play Hartville in the second round, Thursday at 8 p.m. at JQH Arena.
