The Republic Tigers entered the boys basketball season with a ton of experience, a ton of talent, and a ton of question marks. The biggest questions were how the team would respond to new head coach Trevyor Fisher, and how Fisher would respond to being a head coach for the first time. Their answers turned out to be the biggest story of the year in Republic Tiger Sports.
“It definitely has been different. Any time you do something for the first time, you really don’t know what to expect,” Fisher said of his preseason preparation in November. “But I think the transition has been good. Of course you learn things as you go, and I’m sure next year we’ll do things different.”
The learning curve apparently wasn’t too steep for either Fisher or his team. The Tigers came out of the gate strong, whipping Lebanon, Russellville, Ark., and Hillcrest to open the season with a Republic Invitational Tournament championship. That earned the Tigers their first appearance in the state ranking, when MoSports.com listed them at #8 in Class 4.
A big win over Shiloh Christian and 6’6″ Creighton recruit Darian Harris was the next test, and Republic’s defense passed with flying colors, pounding the Saints 59-31 to move to 4-0.
After a win over Cassville, Republic finally suffered its first loss in a trip to Waynesville, where they dropped a 72-64 decision to Larkin (Ill.) despite a 26-point effort by Cody Geiger.
On December 21, the Tigers celebrated history when members of the 1963 state championship team returned to town. With that legendary team looking on, Jake Fletcher poured in 19 points — 17 in the second half — to lead Republic past Reeds Spring.
For the second year in a row, Republic entered the Blue & Gold Tournament as a #2 seed, and set out to prove its doubters wrong. Blowout wins over Aurora and Hartville set up a semifinal showdown against Branson. The Tigers lost a double-digit lead against the Pirates, but held on to win 58-55, advancing to the finals against Parkview.
In the championship game, Republic used grinding defense in a 34-27 win that mirrored their championship over Hillcrest the year before. Canyon Smith’s three-pointer broke a 27-27 tie and put the Tigers ahead for good, giving them their second consecutive Blue & Gold title. Soon after, the Tigers (9-1) jumped to #4 in the Class 4 state rankings.
Unlike 2012, Republic avoided a post-holiday letdown. Republic beat Bolivar on the road, then walloped a series of opponents before suffering their second setback in a 47-45 double overtime loss against Rogersville in finals of the Rogersville Tournament. It was a loss they wouldn’t forget.
After the Tigers picked up a physical road win at Webb City and dominated Neosho, they hit their roughest stretch of the year. A buzzer-beater at Nixa and a sloppy performance at Willard led to two straight losses. But the Tigers ended the losing streak emphatically.
In a homecoming showdown against Ozark, fueled by a rowdy crowd, Republic overcame a slow start to win 68-61. Jake Fletcher led Republic with 19 points.
The Tigers closed out the season with more wins to enter the postseason 22-4. After an easy win over Reeds Spring, they got their revenge against a Rogersville team that had beaten them earlier. In a dominating performance, the Tigers jumped ahead 21-4 and cruised to a 61-41 win to take the district title. The postseason run was just beginning.
The opening round of the playoffs was tougher than expected against a Carl Junction team that Republic had beaten by 39 points earlier in the season. The Tigers advanced with a 62-42 win.
In the quarterfinals at Drury, Republic built a 12-point first-half lead against St. Francis Borgia, lost it, then watched Geiger take over. The junior forward scored 11 points in the 4th quarter, including nine in a row, to lead the Tigers to the state semifinals with a 46-33 victory. (See photos. Or listen to five minutes of play by play highlights.)
At Columbia, Republic met their mirror image in Liberty North. Another defensive powerhouse with size in the middle, the Eagles matched up with the Tigers in a classic defensive struggle. For a second straight game, Republic grabbed a 1st half lead before watching their opponent storm back. In the end, it came down to two possessions.
Marcus Miller grabbed his own rebound on a missed layup and put it in with 4.8 seconds left to give Republic a 39-38 lead. And the Tigers’ defense, allowing just 40 points a game for the season, got the stop they needed as they advanced to the championship game with a hard-fought win. (See photos from the semifinals.)
“We crash the offensive boards. We work on rebounding every day in practice,” Miller said of his follow-up shot. “So I knew we would have people down in there trying to tip the ball, at least keep it alive for some hope.”
The state championship was a study in contrasts, as the Tigers met run-and-gun Normandy. Geiger had a double-double — 20 points and ten rebounds — to help lead the Tigers. Senior Jake Fletcher also played a key role, hitting four of six three-point attempts, including a running 28-footer at the 1st quarter buzzer that gave the Tigers a 15-10 lead.
The Vikings responded in the 2nd quarter with increased defensive pressure, and took a 26-25 lead into halftime. In the 3rd quarter, it looked like Normandy might run away from the Tigers, building a seven-point lead at one time. But the Tigers had one more run in them.
Republic scored the first ten points of the 4th quarter to grab a 46-42 lead, watched Normandy claw back in front, then took the lead for good, 49-48, on two free throws by Dylan Bekemeier. Fittingly, the game came down to one last defensive stand by a team that thrived on defense all year. Leading by three, Republic forced Normandy’s Gerald Fuller to take a long three-pointer that fell short and bounced out of bounds as time expired, securing the title with a 54-51 win.
(See video highlights of the championship game and the postgame press conference. And here are some audio play by play highlights of the title game, and photos.)
Republic’s state championship comes exactly 50 years after the Tigers won their only previous title in 1963. And it served as a one-year follow-up to the 2012 championship won by the Lady Tigers.
Senior Jake Fletcher summed it up: “It was just a little taste, when the girls brought it back. It was something to look forward to, and that’s maybe how we wanted to go out. We fulfilled everything that we wanted to.”
For the Tigers’ season of excellence, and their run to the state championship, you voted them the #1 story of the year at Republic Tiger Sports.
