Coming into their game against Shiloh Christian, Republic knew it would have to find a way to slow down Creighton recruit Darian Harris, a 6’6″ shooting guard averaging nearly 30 points per game.
Slow him down, they did.
Led by Cody Geiger, with lots of help defense from his teammates, the Tigers held Harris to just 12 points on the way to a 59-31 win.
“Cody was in charge of drawing that assignment, but we wanted to help off, especially with our big guys,” says coach Trevyor Fisher. “We told our big guys to be big-time helpers, to not let him get to the basket, and to hold him to 12 points is quite an accomplishment. We never let him really get comfortable.”
Harris got off to a quick start with a couple of blocked shots and six points in the 1st quarter, as Shiloh Christian nabbed an early lead. But Republic took its first lead at 8-7 with 4:25 left in the quarter, and went on an 18-2 run. They led 24-9 after one quarter.
Shiloh Christian stiffened up on defense and hit three 3-pointers in the second quarter to cut into the lead. The Saints trailed 30-19 at the half.
In the 2nd half, Republic’s defense got even stronger. The Tigers held Harris to just one field goal after halftime, and held Shiloh Christian to just 12 points overall, as they pulled away down the stretch. Republic led 44-27 after the 3rd quarter, and cruised to a 28-point victory.
The Tigers continued to have balanced scoring, with ten players putting points on the board.
“You never know who it’s going to be on any given night,” Fisher said of the Tigers offense. “It’s a great situation. Marcus struggled in the 1st half, but came out in the 2nd half and asserted himself much better, and kind of got us off to a good start… Everyone really played well.”
Republic was led by Marcus Miller, with 11. Jake Fletcher had 10, Cody Geiger scored nine, Canyon Smith had seven, Grant Hancock scored six, and Dylan Bekemeier had five. Derric Mertes had four points, Dillen Ramsey added three, and Pierce Pittman and Ty Abney had two apiece.
Republic improves to 4-0. Shiloh Christian falls to 2-5.
