The Lady Tigers built a seven-point lead in the 1st half and lost it. They built an eight-point lead in the 2nd half and lost it. But they did just enough down the stretch in front of a hostile crowd at Nixa to pick up a key Central Ozark Conference victory over the Lady Eagles, 48-45. Taylor Fergen poured in 25 points in the victory.
To pull it off, Republic had to overcome a wild final minute. After Fergen gave the Lady Tigers a two-point lead with about 40 seconds remaining, she was called for a foul at the other end of the court. Nixa missed the front end of a one-and-one, and the ball was tipped from player to player until it finally rolled out of bounds off of Nixa. On the first in-bounds attempt, Republic had to call a time out to avoid a five-second call. On the next attempt, the Lady Eagles tipped the ball away and nearly stole it, before Republic retained possession on a held ball. Republic turned it over on the next attempt, but Nixa couldn’t convert. Eventually, Fergen drew a foul, and she hit one of two free throws to account for the final three-point margin of victory. Nixa had one last shot, but despite trailing by three, they drove the ball inside and missed a shot as time expired.
The teams were tied 8-8 after the first quarter. Republic built a seven-point lead before Nixa closed the half on an 8-0 run to take a 22-21 lead into the break.
When the 3rd quarter ended, Republic had stretched its lead back to eight points, 35-27, but Nixa clawed back to tie the game at 39-39, setting up the frantic stretch run. A three-pointer by Fergen made it 42-39, and from there, the Lady Tigers made the lead hold up.
“We were only up by a few points, so we knew we just had to take care of the ball. You only shoot if you have a wide open layup and let them foul you,” says Fergen. “That was our plan — just take care of the ball and let them foul us, then knock down our free throws.”
Fergen says a win at Nixa is always special.
“Nixa’s always a fun place to play. The atmosphere is always really good and they’re always really loud here,” she says. “Also, since they’re a district , it’s even better to get a win on their court.”
Coach Kris Flood says he knows the Lady Tigers were lucky to win on an exhausting night.
“We had a lot of chances to win the game and put it away,” he says. “Right now I’m just kind of tired and speechless, and I don’t know how to describe it. We were fortunate to get out with that one.”
Republic improves to 14-9 overall and 5-1 in the conference. The Lady Tigers host Willard on Thursday.
Scoring
Taylor Fergen 25, Allyson Barrett 8, Madi Beckham 4, Avy Powell-Qualo 4, Brylee Manes 3, Halli Bartelsmeyer 3, Megan Branstetter 1
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Player of the Game
Taylor Fergen scored 25 points, including 14 in the second half, to help Republic power through a difficult road test at Nixa. She scored seven of the Lady Tigers’ last nine points and she’s our Coldwell Banker Player of the Game.
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