Seventh-seeded Republic played its most balanced, complete game of the season in upsetting #2 seed Ozark 53-38 in the second round of the Pink & White Lady Classic.
Four different players scored in double figures for the Lady Tigers, who built a double-digit lead in the first half, then held on through a grueling final four minutes to advance to the tournament semifinals. Avylina Powell-Qualo led Republic with 13 points before leaving the game with an injury in the final minutes.
Republic opened the game aggressively on offense, penetrating into the lane and getting open shots on several possessions.
“We knew there were going to be some matchup possibilities,” says coach Kris Flood. “We did a nice job of attacking. Avalina … had a couple of nice drives in the first half.
“Jade (Kirby) took advantage of the couple times where we got penetration, and we were able to pitch it out. They came off to help and we hit a couple of perimeter shots.”
Republic played solid defense on the other end of the court, forcing Ozark into difficult shots.
“We really focused on staying on that midline because … they run a lot of the weave and penetration. Their guards are real quick,” Flood says. “They’re able to get to the basket and they’re real good about recognizing and finding those outside shooters.”
Republic jumped ahead 14-4 in the opening minutes and led 18-7 at the end of the first quarter. At halftime, the lead was ten points, 26-16. The lead stayed in double digits most of the rest of the game. It dipped to seven points briefly at 29-22 early in the third quarter, but two points by Bartelsmeyer nad a Jazzy Kirby three-pointer stretched it back to 34-22, and Ozark never got closer than ten points the rest of the way.
Republic’s celebration was subdued because of the knee injury to Powell-Qualo, who went down with 3:35 remaining in the game.
Powell-Qualo’s injury came just as she was beginning to assert herself more aggressively on both ends of the floor for Republic.
“She’s really played well the last couple of games for us. She had a nice game yesterday morning. She was playing well today,” says Flood. “We’ll just have to wait and see. Hopefully she’s not hurt … too bad, especially with her being a senior.”
Republic improves to 5-3. The Lady Tigers advance to the semifinals tomorrow at 4 p.m. at O’Reilly Family Event Center.
Scoring
Avylina Powell-Qualo 13, Halli Bartelsmeyer 12, Clara Fronabarger 11, Jade Kirby 10, Jazzy Kirby 5, Shealyn Barrett 2
Farr Better Player of the Game
Avy Powell-Qualo’s game was cut short by an injury, but before she left the game, she was leading Republic in scoring and turning in a big performance on the defensive end of the court, as well. She finished with 13 points, was a powerful rebounding force on the boards, and she’s our Farr Better Player of the Game.
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