In a season-opening loss, every time Republic tried to make a run, Lee’s Summit West responded with a big play that coach Kris Flood called “a dagger to the heart.” Tuesday night, Lacee Walcher was the one holding the dagger.
Walcher came off the bench to score 13 points, including three three-pointers, in a 59-44 win over Belton. Every time the Lady Pirates tried to grab the momentum, Walcher stopped them. Her steal and layup in the second quarter set up an 8-0 run by the Lady Tigers, turning a one-point deficit into a seven-point halftime lead. She had an 8-0 run of her own later in the game, hitting back-to-back three pointers and another field goal to stretch Republic’s lead to double figures.
“We’ll have those games like that,” says coach Kris Flood. “It might take someone coming off the bench that provides a little spark, and Lacey did that tonight. There a few kids that come off the bench toward the critical part of the fourth quarter. They came in and made some good decisions with the ball and, I thought, did some things well that weren’t done in the first three and a half quarters.
Megan Branstetter and Brylee Manes each scored 13 points, as well. Jade Kirby hit two three-pointers for a six-point night. Avy Powell-Qualo and Morgan McGuire each scored four. Anna Bell had three, and so did Halli Bartelsmeyer.
Republic struggled offensively in the first half, but scored 33 points in the second half as they pulled away.
“It wasn’t an actual piece of artwork, but it’s a ‘W,’ so I’ll take it,” says Flood.
The Lady Tigers improve to 1-1. They travel to St. James Saturday for a game against Jackson in the Maries County Bank Shootout. You can watch or listen to the game at RepublicTigerSports.com/live.
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Farr Better Player of the Game
Lacee Walcher keyed two 8-0 runs for the Lady Tigers, both at important moments that swung the momentum away from Belton. She finished with 13 points, tied for the team high, and she’s our Farr Better Plumbing Player of the Game.
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