The Republic Lady Tigers entered Monday’s game against Kickapoo with an undefeated record and something to prove.
They’re still undefeated, and they proved it.
Republic overcame a one-point halftime deficit to blow past Springfield Kickapoo 65-59, running their record to 6-0. Kickapoo will be a #1 seed in the upcoming Pink & White Tournament, while Republic received a #4 seed.
“I was mad that they had the first seed and we didn’t,” says Allyson Barrett. “I wanted to prove that we could still beat them, even though they had the higher seed.
Barrett played a big role in proving that point. She turned in her best all-around performance at the varsity level, scoring five points and grabbing several rebounds and loose balls, especially during a key stretch in the first half.
After Republic fell behind 13-8 through the first quarter, Barrett helped the Lady Tigers claw their way back into the game. They took their first lead at 21-19 with 2:49 left in the half, and trailed by just one point at halftime, 26-25.
“I started feeling more comfortable, playing with everybody that I haven’t played with,” Barrett says. “It’s a big relief, considering I’ve been struggling a little bit. It was good.”
The third quarter was the turning point for the Lady Tigers, as they came out more aggressive and got the offense going. After failing to hit a three-pointer in the first half, they hit three in the third quarter–one by Taylor Fergen, one by Jordan Kabetske, and one by Alexis Ladwig. By the time the quarter ended, Republic had outscored Kickapoo 26-9 to take a 43-35 lead.
Flood says he made adjustments at halftime after turning the ball over too many times in the first half.
“We slowed the tempo down. We took advantage of when we got some hots, and finally we hit some perimeter shots,” says coach Kris Flood. “It really energized us.”
Republic stretched the lead to double-digits in the fourth quarter before Kickapoo made one final run. The Lady Chiefs converted a couple of turnovers into buckets to cut the lead to 57-51, but Brooke Stanfield answered with a bucket of her own with under two minutes remaining to help stave off the final rally.
Four Lady Tigers scored in double figures, led by Stanfield with 15 and Kabetske with 14. Fergen had 12 and Ladwig scored 10. Brylee Argo added eight and Barrett finished with five.
Republic has a week off before opening the Pink & White Tournament next Monday against Clever at 12:30 at the O’Reilly Event Center at Drury University in Springfield.
“We need a few days away. A lot of kids are getting a lot of minutes and they need some time off to get their legs back,” says Flood. “It’s by far been the most grueling (schedule) I’ve had since we’ve been here. To get through it unscathed up to this point, I attribute everything to them. They work extremely hard and they know what they need to do to get through games.”
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