El Dorado Springs had slashed Republic’s ten-point lead down to two points, with three minutes left in their Pink & White quarterfinal Tuesday night. That’s when Regan Holmes stepped up to hit the biggest shot of the night.
Holmes took a pass from Jazzy Kirby on the left wing, found herself wide open, and splashed in a three-pointer with 2:44 on the clock to give Republic a five-point lead again, 57-52. From that point on, El Dorado Springs never got closer than three points, and Republic held on for a 65-57 victory.
“You’ve got to have kids that do that,” coach Kris Flood said of Holmes. “She came in. She executes her role really well, and she’s just a real smart kid. It was huge. She got us over the hump there when she hit that three. She had a good look. I was not upset that she took it.”
In the first quarter, Republic’s defense had shut down El Dorado Spring’s scoring tandem of Reese Schaff and Macie Mays, holding them to six points combined as the Lady Tigers built a 20-9 lead. In the second quarter, Schaaf began to heat up, but the rest of the Bulldogs remained out of sync, and at halftime, Republic had built its lead to 33-18.
But in the second half, Schaaf and Mays shot the Bulldogs back into the game, with a little help on the perimeter from Tevi Gurley, who made two quick three-pointers in the third quarter to help El Dorado Springs outscore Republic 19-12 in the third quarter.
“We talked at halftime that they could shoot their way back into it and erase that 14 or 15 points,” Flood said. “The Mays kid really took over there.”
Republic’s eight-point lead as the fourth quarter began was down to two by the 4:00 mark, and the Bulldogs had a chance to take the lead on one possession, but never managed to go ahead. From the point that Holmes hit her three-pointer, Republic outscored El Dorado Springs 11-5 in the final 2:44.
For the Lady Tigers, a strong performance at the free throw line sealed the win. Kaitlyn Ragsdale and Kaemyn Bekemeier each made six free throws in the fourth quarter. Bekemeier finished with 22 to lead Republic.
The Lady Tigers advance to the semifinals, where they will meet West Plains at 6 pm Wednesday. The game will be played at Kickapoo High School, and Republic Tiger Sports will stream it live.
Republic Scoring
Kaemyn Bekemeier 22, Rilynn Finley 16, Kaitlyn Ragsdale 9, Regan Holmes 8, Savana Powell-Goodman 5, Jazzy Kirby 3, Eternity Knotts 2