Facing state-ranked Nixa, Republic needed to catch a lot of breaks to pull off an upset in the championship game. Instead, the breaks went Nixa’s way, and the Eagles cruised to a 72-49 win over Republic Friday night.
The biggest break came at the end of the first half, after Republic had missed an opportunity to cut a Nixa lead to eight points heading into the break. After Republic missed a shot, Austin Ruder grabbed the ball and heaved it from Republic’s free throw line to the other end of the court. The ball went in, stretching Nixa’s lead to 13 points, and the Eagles never looked back.
“There’s no question that was a big play. When you play a team like that, you’ve got to catch some breaks,” says coach Trevyor Fisher. “Usually when you don’t, it’s not going to end well.”
After halftime, Nixa scored the first seven points to put the game away.
Brady McGill led Republic with 13 points. Tristan Ollar scored 11. Brock Yocum had eight. Tim Brazeal had six. Travis Sly scored five, Ty Stevens scored four, and Cameron Doke added two.
McGill, Brazeal, and Yocum all earned a spot on the All-District team. They and two other seniors–Jace Duvall and Blake Fanning–ended their careers at Republic. Yocum leaves the biggest mark on the program, having played a key role in two state championships for the Tigers during his sophomore and junior seasons.
“There was a time midway through the season that we could have gone south in a hurry, but we kept battling,” Fisher says of his team. “I think we did get better as the year progressed. You always give credit to your seniors for that, but at the same time I think our underclassmen grew a lot, and gained valuable experience heading into next year.”
Republic ends its season with a 14-13 record. Nixa advances to play Kickapoo in the sectionals next Wednesday.
