Coach Kris Flood says he had talked to his team about their effort during a rough December that left them with a 2-6 record entering the Pink & White Lady Classic.
Effort wasn’t a problem Tuesday.
The 8th-seeded Lady Tigers were more aggressive at both ends of the floor in a 58-40 win over unseeded Springfield Central that was even more lopsided than the final score indicates. Republic stormed ahead of Central in the early minutes, then grew its halftime lead to 28-19. But the third quarter made the difference, as Republic shut out Central, outscoring the Lady Bulldogs 15-0 to put the game out of reach. After the lead grew to near 30 points, Central closed the gap in the final minutes to get the final margin under 20.
Three Lady Tigers scored in double figures, led by Megan Branstetter with 17 points. Brylee Manes scored 16, and Halli Bartelsmeyer added 12 — 10 of them in the first quarter.
“Looking back, we just hadn’t had the effort. We thought that could improve,” says Flood. “That’s something that’s easy to solve. I thought it showed a little bit more tonight, for about three and a half quarters. Hopefully we’ll get it going in a positive direction.”
Republic improves to 3-6 and advances to play top-seeded Jonesboro, Ark., in the second round Wednesday at 7:30. Jonesboro edged Buffalo 53-46 in the opening round.
Individual Scoring
Megan Branstetter 17, Brylee Manes 16, Halli Bartelsmeyer 12, Jade Kirby 5, Lacee Walcher 4, Avy Powell-Qualo 2, Morgan McGuire 2
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Farr Better Player of the Game
Brylee Manes not only scored 16 points, but her defense on the perimeter played a huge role in the Lady Tigers’ win over Springfield Central. Manes intercepted several passes on the perimeter at the defensive end and turned most of them into points at the other end–either by her or by a teammate. For her effort at both ends of the floor, she’s our Farr Better Player of the Game.
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