Stingy defense. Check.
Strong rebounding. Check.
Selfless offense. Check.
The Tigers under first-year coach Tim Brown looked a lot like they’ve looked for the past several years under Trevyor Fisher, with Republic cruising to a 59-31 win over Marshfield to open the season in the first round of the 54th Annual Republic Invitational.
“I’m glad to just get that first game over for our guys and to be able to get some game feedback,” Brown says. “It seems like we’ve been practicing and we’re kind of sick of looking at each other, so it was nice to get out there on our home court. I was really impressed with the student section … and it was nice having them out there. Hopefully we can get them behind us all year long and create a fun environment for all our players.”
The Tigers sprinted to a 17-4 lead after one quarter and never looked back. They eventually stretched the lead to 35 points, at 53-18, at the end of the third quarter. They did it with tight man-to-man defense that made it difficult for Marshfield to get off a decent shot, and with great rebounding that almost always held the Blue Jays to one shot per possession.
“We did really well on the defensive end. I thought we rebounded particularly well in those two areas,” he says. “Those are the two areas we did the best in in the first half: getting down in a stance and guarding, and rebounding the basketball.”
If there was a negative to the night, Brown says it was that his team’s early shooting success caused them to fire up the ball too quickly later in the game.
“Sometimes when you make shots early, you kind of settle. But our guys were playing really hard, and when our guys play hard and they rebound…you allow them a little more freedom. Whenever they’re going to play that hard, they get a little greener light,” Brown says.
Sophomore Drew McMillin, starting his first varsity game, led all scorers with 17 points, including three three-pointers.
“Drew played the way tonight that he’s played all summer, so that’s not something that we’re surprised by,” says Brown. “He’s been very consistent in practice every day, and he played that way tonight.”
Broc Smith had 14 points and Tucker Thomas was also in double figures, with 11.
The Tigers advance to the semifinals, where they’ll meet Rolla. The Bulldogs overcame a big first-half deficit to beat Springdale, Ark.
Scoring
Drew McMillin 17, Broc Smith 14, Tucker Thomas 11, Trent Rackley 9, Cole Buxton 3, Race Looney 2, Jaden Duvall 2, Jacob Coday 1