The Lady Tigers will stay in the winners’ bracket at the Pink and White Lady Classic after a 51-42 win over Clever. But they won’t be in the winner’s bracket for long if they continue to play like they did Monday, according to coach Kris Flood.
“I didn’t think we came out ready mentally,” says Flood. “We were real lethargic. We didn’t have any intensity defensively. Just a lot of things not going right, and we’re fortunate to get through with a ‘W’ considering the way we played.”
Clever (4-5) played Republic pretty much even except for the second quarter. The Lady Tigers outscored Clever 22-10 in that eight-minute stretch to grab a 30-18 lead at halftime. In the other three quarters, Clever actually outscored Republic 24-21.
One bright spot for Republic was the return of point guard Jade Sawyer, who has been out since tearing a knee ligament last summer. She checked into the game in the first quarter for her first action of the season.
“I was hoping I would be able to benefit the team and not hurt them, considering it was my first game back,” says Sawyer. “I was excited and anxious and nervous, all at the same time. That first quarter, I was real nervous, but the second quarter when he put me in, from there on I felt pretty good.”
The Lady Tigers advance to play #5 seed Fair Grove Tuesday at 6 pm at the O’Reilly Family Event Center.
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