Cody Geiger returned with a vengeance. The senior forward had 22 points in his first game back after an injury-related 10-day layoff, helping Republic wallop Rogersville 54-36 to capture a second consecutive district title. It was the third victory in three meetings with the Wildcats this year, and the most decisive.
“I was ready to go. I was pumped for the game,” Geiger says. “I wanted to put it to them so bad — I don’t really like Rogersville that much.”
Geiger’s consistent effort — he scored five points in each of the first three quarters, before scoring seven in the 4th — helped Republic gradually pull away from Rogersville.
It didn’t start that way. Rogersville and Republic both played hard-nosed defense early, and the Wildcats grabbed a 10-9 lead after one quarter. In the 2nd quarter, the Tigers’ guards got going offensively as Rogersville continued to focus on Geiger inside. Brock Yocum, Canyon Smith, and Dylan Bekemeier combined for 11 points, and the Tigers outscored Rogersville 15-8 to take a 24-18 lead at the halftime break.
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In the 3rd quarter, Republic’s defense began to take a toll on Rogersville. The Tigers went on an 8-0 run midway through the period to stretch their lead to 37-25, and stayed in control the rest of the way.
Coach Trevyor Fisher says he didn’t make any big adjustments defensively in the 2nd half.
“It was basically what we tried to do in the 1st half. I think we bailed them out on some fouls in the 1st half, and put them on the line. Second half, we did a better job of contesting, and making them make tough shots,” says Fisher.
In addition to Geiger’s 22 points, the Tigers got 12 points from Canyon Smith, 10 from Brock Yocum, six from Chase Hoffmann, and four from Dylan Bekemeier. Christian Brown led Rogersville with 14 points, and Corbin Medley had 13.
The Tigers move into sectionals, where they’ll face Carl Junction. They enter the playoffs with the experience of a state championship behind them last year. Fisher says he thinks that will make a difference as the postseason goes on.
“Every team’s different, but…any time you have that experience that these guys did last year, I think that can only help to draw back on those experiences. They’ve been through all the wars, seen everything, so it’s nice to have that senior leadership and I think it shined through tonight,” Fisher says.
The Tigers and Lady Tigers will both play in sectionals on Wednesday. The games are scheduled to be played in Nixa, with the Lady Tigers tipoff set for 6 p.m. and the boys to follow.