The Republic Tigers delivered a lightning-quick message that this night would not be like their last meeting with the Rogersville Wildcats. The Tigers bolted to a 21-4 lead after one quarter, and held off a 2nd-half charge to capture the district championship with a 61-41 win at Rogersville.
When the two teams met in the Rogersville Tournament, the Wildcats ground out a slow-paced, double-overtime victory. On this night, Republic stepped up the aggressiveness, and it paid off.
“We tried to come out with more intensity than we did in the Rogersville tournament, and I think we did that,” says senior Jake Fletcher, who led the Tigers with 20 points. “We wanted to get going early. Everything was just clicking.
“Last time, we pulled up and almost went into a stalling thing, and this time we wanted to stay aggressive, keep attacking.”
Early on, it was the inside game that clicked for the Tigers. Marcus Miller had two big buckets in the opening minutes, and that opened up the perimeter for the Tigers’ guards, who took advantage. Dylan Bekemeier had seven of his 14 points in the first quarter. Fletcher had five in the first period.
“We really came out and executed very well offensively,” says coach Trevyor Fisher. “Played very good defense and rebounded. You couldn’t ask for a better start, and I think that kind of carried over. You always worry about coming out and playing your best this time of year, and I think we did that.”
The Tigers led 32-16 at halftime, but in the 3rd quarter, Rogersville heated up from the outside and closed the gap to ten points at 45-35. They eventually got the lead down to eight, but no closer.
“We knew they were going to make a run,” says Fisher. “They’re a very good team, can shoot the three. We just told our guys you just gotta stay poised, keep making the right decisions, keep attacking.”
The continued aggressiveness paid off, as the Tigers built the lead back to 14, then hit their free throws down the stretch.
In addition to Fletcher’s 20 and Bekemeier’s 14, Ty Abney, Marcus Miller, and Grant Hancock had seven apiece. Hancock’s points included a monstrous two-handed dunk that ignited the big Republic crowd. Cody Geiger added six, and Canyon Smith scored one point for the Tigers.
Senior Justus Boever scored 25 points in his last game for Rogersville.
Republic improves to 24-4, and advances to the state sectionals at Ozark Wednesday. The Tigers will meet Carl Junction, who they beat 78-39 earlier this season.
