Republic scored the first 12 points of the second half to come from behind and beat Willard at home Friday night, 45-38. Their big third quarter helped the Tigers overcome a slow start against a physical Willard lineup, and they fought off a Willard charge in the fourth quarter to hang on.
Early in the game, Willard’s inside duo of Houston Johnson and Daniel Abreu gave Republic fits on the inside, blocking several shots, disrupting Republic’s offensive flow, and crashing the boards. Willard led 18-13 at halftime.
“It was them being physical and us being soft in the first half,” says coach Trevyor Fisher. They took it at us on both ends of the floor, and we didn’t do a very good job of reacting to it. We did a better job in the second half of bouncing back.”
Treydon Rackley led Republic with 15 points. None were bigger than the six he scored in the third quarter, when his two three-pointers provided a spark to hit teammates. After starting the second half in a five-point hole, Republic stormed ahead 25-18 and never trailed again.
It looked like Republic might run away with it, but Willard hit two straight three-pointers to end the third quarter — including a one-handed full-court heave that went in at the buzzer — to close the Republic lead to 29-26. Fisher says his team’s response to that bucket says a lot about its character.
“That swung the momentum all the way into their favor. We did a good job of keeping our composure. We still made some mistakes there in the fourth quarter, but for the most part, we made enough plays and made enough free throws down the stretch.”
Republic improves to 19-5 overall and 6-0 in the COC. They play at Ozark next Tuesday. It will be a rematch of a game earlier this season in the Republic Invitational. Republic won that one in overtime.
Scoring
Treydon Rackley 15, Caleb Singley 10, Ty Stevens 8, Mitch Coiner 4, Cameron Doke 1
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Crackerjack Shack Player of the Game
Treydon Rackley hit two big three-pointers at the start of the third quarter to jump-start the Tigers. He finished with a team-high 15 points, and he’s our Crackerjack Shack Player of the Game.
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