Rogersville avenged an earlier loss and ended Republic’s eight-game winning streak in a 47-42 win in the Rogersville Tournament Friday night. The Wildcats used a 9-2 run at the beginning of the third quarter to build a 14-point lead, then held off a Republic charge down the stretch.
Coach Trevyor Fisher says the Tigers took too many quick shots early in the game, got behind, and couldn’t dig out of the hole.
“We fed right into their hands. We were complacent. We settled for perimeter jump shots early in the game,” he says. “They’re a good defensive team. They’re similar to us. They’re going to make you beat them from the perimeter if you let them. Where we had success in the second half was getting to the basket. But we settled for jump shots in the first half. They made us play defense for 45 seconds or a minute, and we came down and shot it within ten seconds, which is a recipe for disaster.”
The Tigers scored just 15 points in the first half. They shot 38% from the floor from the game, and made just two of 15 three-point attempts.
Treydon Rackley had 15 points. Tristan Ollar scored 11. Ty Stevens had nine, and Mitch Coiner scored seven.
The Tigers had beaten Rogersville for their first win of the year in the final game of the Republic Tournament. The Tigers will try to bounce back tomorrow against Waynesville to wrap up the Rogersville Tournament.
“You’ve got to take it as a learning experience,” says Fisher. “(It’s) very similar to the way we played in the second half against Fair Grove. We settled, panicked, (and) weren’t mentally tough enough.”
Republic falls to 13-4 this season. Waynesville will also be trying to rebound from a loss, after falling to Helias Friday night.
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