Trailing by a point late in the second quarter, Republic went on a 15-3 run to grab an 11-point halftime lead, and they never looked back in a 67-43 win over Joplin in the district semifinals at Nixa Tuesday.
The pivotal moment of the game was in the final minute of the second quarter with Republic leading by five. The Tigers forced a turnover and Mitch Coiner buried a three-pointer, then Treydon Rackley stole the ball and hit a layup, stretching the lead to double-digits for the first time, and giving Republic a buffer heading into the halftime break.
“It was huge,” coach Trevyor Fisher says of the final flurry of the half. “They had all the momentum. You could tell we were feeling the weight of the world on our shoulders and missing shots we normally make. We were just out of sync altogether. To get that little cushion before half made us settle down a little bit. We came out in the second half and played much better.”
Republic outscored Joplin 20-13 in the third quarter to put the game all-but-out-of-reach. The period included a two-handed jam by Ty Stevens after he stole the ball on the perimeter at the defensive end.
The Tigers improve to 22-5. Their win sets up a rematch with state-ranked Nixa, a double-overtime victim of the Tigers during the regular season. Nixa beat Neosho to advance to the championship game Friday night at 6 pm in Nixa.
Republic Tiger Sports will broadcast the district championship game. The Absolute Roofing Pre-game Show will begin about 5:50 Friday night here and in the Republic Tiger Sports mobile app.
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Crackerjack Shack Player of the Game
Treydon Rackley and Ty Stevens combined for 20 points in the second half to help Republic pull away from Joplin. They finished with 33 points between them, and their joint effort earned them recognition as Crackerjack Players of the Game.
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