Republic’s guards slashed through the Lebanon defense, driving to the basket at will in the first half as the Tigers returned from Christmas break with a 51-33 thrashing of the Yellowjackets on the road.
“I thought we set the tone right from the beginning tonight,” says coach Trevyor Fisher. “Our defense was great. It frustrated them. We boxed out. That ultimately led to our offense (starting) to click. Guys relaxed. We saw shots go in. It all started with the defensive end.”
Brady McGill led the Tigers with 19 points, most of them on driving shots in the middle of the lane. Mitchell Coiner added 12 points, all on three-pointers. Brock Yocum scored 11 for the Tigers, who ended a two-game losing skid. Fisher says it was an important win as a confidence builder after a difficult Blue & Gold Tournament.
“It was a tough stretch right there. To come and get our first true road win of the year is a big deal. This stretch we’ve got coming up — with a tough one Friday against Bolivar — they’re games we’re capable of winning but we’ve got to go out on the court and do that. Hopefully this will allow some confidence to steep into some guys.”
Tim Brazeal scored five for Republic. Tristan Ollar scored two points, and Blake Fanning and Caleb Singley scored one each.
The Tigers shot the ball well all night, and Fisher credits his team’s shot selection.
“We took good quality shots. We were aggressive. We got into the gaps and we made two guys collapse and we kicked it to the open guy.”
Republic improves to 6-5. The Tigers travel to Bolivar Friday.
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