Republic scored the first 15 points of the game and didn’t allow a field goal for nearly 13 minutes, opening the Pink and White tournament with a 70-27 win over Aurora at Glendale High School in Springfield. Republic opened the game with full-court pressure, and even when the Lady Houns managed to get the ball into the front court, they were unable to find a rhythm offensively.
The Lady Tigers outscored Aurora 26-5 in the opening period, with all five of Aurora’s points coming from the free throw line. Before the game, Kris Flood had talked about his goal of getting off to a fast start.
“We had emphasized that we were going to come out and try to be really aggressive on the defensive end. We thought we could probably pressure them a little bit and get after their guards. We got some early turnovers and kind of set the tempo, and you could tell the kids relaxed a little bit as the game progressed,” Flood said.
Everyone who dressed out scored for the Lady Tigers. They were led by Kaemyn Bekemeier with 18 points. Kaitlyn Ragsdale and Rilynn Finley were also in double figures with 12.
“Everybody got quite a few minutes. Especially in this situation, where you’re playing four games in four days, and they get harder and harder, there are going to be some games where we might need some of those kids to come off the bench, especially in key situations,” Flood said. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in those kids if we have to sub.”
Aurora didn’t score a field goal until the 3:21 mark of the second quarter, when Ellie Creasey dropped in a shot in the lane. Republic built a 32-point lead at halftime, 43-11.
Republic advances to play El Dorado Springs at 6 pm Tuesday in the quarterfinals. Republic Tiger Sports will carry that game live on YouTube.
Republic Scoring
Kaemyn Bekemeier 18, Rilynn Finley 12, Kaitlyn Ragsdale 12, Regan Holmes 9, Jazzy Kirby 9, Savana Powell-Goodman 3, Miha Nambara 3, Hope Schatz 2, Eternity Knotts 2
