If Nixa entertained hope for an upset against the No. 1 Republic Lady Tigers Thursday night, it didn’t last long. The Lady Tigers blitzed Nixa from the outset, jumping to a 12-point lead within four minutes, stretching the lead to 30 points in the second quarter, then cruising to a 70-42 win, their 19th victory of the season.
Republic was 9-of-13 from three-point range, bringing their total number of three-pointers over the last three games to 32. Jordan Kabetske had four of them and Alexis Ladwig added three.
“We came out on fire,” says coach Kris Flood. “We hit our first three or four shots. A couple of those were threes, and we kept rolling from there. were doing a nice job of making one more pass, finding that open person. It paid off in that first half.
“I thought we played one of our better halves, even defensively. I was seeing some good rotation, seeing some things like that.”
Republic’s defensive pressure played a role in the disastrous offensive start for Nixa. At one point late in the second quarter, Nixa had turned the ball over 17 times, but had taken only 14 shots.
Brooke Stanfield had one of her best offensive games in the last few weeks. She split Nixa’s defense over and over, especially in the first half, finishing with a team-high 15 points. Kabetske scored 14 and Ladwig had 11. Taylor Fergen and Brylee Argo scored nine each. Allyson Barrett and Madison Beckham each scored four. Madi Appleberry and Jade Sawyer added two points apiece.
“We seem more relaxed,” Flood says of his team’s attitude. “Everybody’s been in a groove and that’s a nice convenience. They’re just shooting their shots and they have a lot of confidence in their shooting ability. If someone has a bad night, there’s five or six others who can step in and fill that.”
Republic shot 54% from the floor (26-for-48). Nixa shot 38% (17-for-45). Nixa out-rebounded Republic 34-18.
Republic is now 19-1, and 4-0 in Central Ozark Conference play. The Lady Tigers are home against Willard on Monday. They’ll be looking for their 20th win of the year as they honor their seven seniors in their last home game of the season.
