Neosho’s Lukas Warneke hit a three-pointer to put his team ahead 3-2 over Republic Tuesday night, and that was as good as it got for the Wildcats. The Tigers answered with 23 consecutive points over the remainder of the first quarter, and romped to a 64-20 win at home.
Republic (19-2) spread around the scoring, with three players in double figures. Jake Fletcher led the Tigers with 16 points. Derric Mertes scored 11 off the bench, and Marcus Miller added 10. Cody Geiger and Canyon Smith scored eight points apiece.
“I think our guys showed some maturity going into the game,” says coach Trevyor Fisher. “Any time you play a team that’s struggled a little bit, you worry about them taking them lightly or not coming out with focus. But our guys did a good job of coming out right from the tip.”
Republic led 25-3 at the end of one quarter, 40-6 at halftime, and 58-15 after three quarters.
The win was a final tune-up for the Tigers as they prepare to visit area power and COC rival Nixa on Friday night.
Republic’s JV team beat Neosho 62-35. The Republic freshmen won 66-45.
The night also featured a tribute to Alexis Edwards, an all-state member of the Lady Tigers basketball team as a junior, and a leader on Republic’s state championship last season.