For the second straight night, the short-handed Lady Tigers pushed a state-ranked team to the brink before falling short of a win. Thursday, it was Strafford (#2, Class 3) that edged Republic, 53-48 in overtime. Strafford outscored the Lady Tigers 11-4 in the extra period, with nine of their points coming at the free throw line.
The game resembled an earlier battle between the two teams at the Pink & White Lady Classic. In that game, Republic ended Strafford’s 123-game winning streak. Thursday, with two of Republic’s players sidelined by injury, the Lady Indians managed to get a measure of revenge with a close win.
The game was close throughout the night, with neither team leading by more than six points until the overtime period. In the first quarter, Republic’s pressure defense was as good as it had been all year, forcing nine Strafford turnovers in the first six minutes of play. At the end of the first quarter, the Lady Tigers led 12-11.
Republic held its biggest lead of the night early in the second quarter, scoring seven consecutive points to take a 19-13 edge. Before halftime, Strafford had retaken the lead, but a bucket by Kaemyn Bekemeier tied the score 23-23 at the break.
“I thought offensively, we made better decisions tonight and had better possessions,” said coach Kris Flood. “But Strafford’s a good team with good quickness. They get out and guard like us, and they’re just as quick as some of our kids on the perimeter.”
In the third quarter, Strafford jumped ahead by six points at 33-27, but a bucket by Savana Powell-Goodman and a three-pointer by Jazzy Kirby cut the lead to one. After two Strafford free throws, Kirby hit her second straight three to tie the game at 35 at the end of the third quarter.
Republic scored the first five points of the fourth quarter, but a costly turnover and missed free throws helped Strafford get back into the game. The Lady Tigers had the last possession of the quarter, but Jazzy Kirby’s off-balance shot was off-target.
“We had a chance there and a couple of bad decisions,” said Flood. “The moment kind of caught up with us. Give them credit there. They got the basket when they needed it.”
Strafford quickly jumped ahead in the overtime and never trailed from there. The Lady Indians were 9-for-10 from the line in the extra period, and 18-for- 22 for the game. Republic only shot nine free throws and missed six of them, including three front ends of one-and-ones.
“The kids really battled. They’ve had to battle two hard games in two nights, and I feel for them because we’ve come out on the bad end on both games.
“We don’t have much time because we’ve got to turn around and get in conference. There’s no doubt we can compete with anybody. We’ve just got to keep growing and learn from stuff.”
Republic has lost to two #2 teams in two nights, after losing to Class 4 #2 West Plains Wednesday. The Lady Tigers fall to 10-7 overall.
Republic Scoring:
Kaemyn Bekemeier 13, Savana Powell-Goodman 11, Jazzy Kirby 8, Jade Kirby 7, Delaney Smith 5, Kaitlyn Ragsdale 2, Carle Ward 2
Turnovers: Republic 9, Strafford 19
Rebounds: Republic 19, Strafford 26