Republic allowed just 14 points in the second half to pull away from Columbia Hickman in a 58-45 road win Saturday. It was the fourth win in five games for the Lady Tigers, who started the season 2-6.
“I think it’s finally clicking a little bit,” says coach Kris Flood. “We’ve talked about in practice, we don’t have to score on the first or second pass. We can run the offense a little bit and still get those good looks.”
The Lady Tigers did that in the first half, but cold shooting by Republic allowed Hickman to build a 31-26 halftime lead. In the third quarter, Flood switched to a zone defense, packed in tight to control Hickman’s 6’3” and 6’4” post players.
“We went in a zone and it slowed them down a little bit. We controlled the tempo,” Flood says. “In the fourth quarter, we went back to man-to-man, but the girls took it up a level. We were real calm on our possessions and ran some clock, and when we did try to score, it was good choices.”
Brylee Manes, Halli Bartelsmeyer, and Avy Powell-Qualo each scored in double figures, with Manes leading the way. Manes put together a 6-0 run all by herself in the second half, stealing the ball on three possessions and turning all three steals into layups.
Republic improves to 5-7. The Lady Tigers open conference play at Carl Junction tonight.
Find out how you can get $25 worth of free photos as a subscriber to Republic Tiger Sports magazine. Sign up now, before this offer runs out!
Farr Better Player of the Game
Brylee Manes led Republic in scoring, but it was her second-half defense that really stood out. Manes converted three consecutive steals into six easy points, helping Republic pull away down the stretch. She’s our Farr Better Player of the Game.
When you need a plumber, you usually need one fast — but you also want one who’ll do the job right. In the Republic area, that’s Farr Better Plumbing. Call Farr Better and let them take away the stress of your plumbing problems. Call them at 864-8703 or check out their website.
