The Republic Tigers allowed just 15 points in the first half against Reeds Spring, and that turned out to be the defensive low point of the night. The Wolves scored only six points after halftime, as Republic won 49-21 to advance to the district championship game Saturday night.
Coach Trevyor Fisher says his team played a more aggressive brand of defense in the first half.
“I thought we did a pretty good job the first half playing it a little bit different than we’ve played all year, just trying to run and jump and cause some turnovers. We thought we might be able to turn them over a few times,” Fisher says. “In the 2nd half we played it a little bit more conservative, just tried to pack it in and make them earn their points.”
Canyon Smith scored 13 points, including four three-pointers, to lead Republic. Cody Geiger added 12 points on the inside for the Tigers. Dylan Bekemeier scored eight and Jake Fletcher had six for the Tigers, who improved to 23-4.
Reeds Spring stayed close for the first six minutes, but Republic scored six straight to end the 1st quarter to take a 14-8 lead. In the 2nd quarter, treys by Smith and Brock Yocum fueled the Tigers as they extended the lead to 26-15 at half.
After the break, the Tigers tightened up their already-stingy defense, allowing only one Reeds Spring field goal. Heading into the 4th quarter, they led 37-18, and they cruised from there.
Republic will play for a district championship game Saturday night against the winner of the Rogersville/West Plains game. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. You can listen to live play-by-play of that game at RepublicTigerSports.com.