Republic struggled on both ends of the floor Thursday at Strafford, giving up too many second-chance points and failing to convert on their own offensive possessions in a 58-45 loss to the Lady Indians. The Lady Tigers scored 18 points in the first quarter, but allowed 24, and couldn’t find a rhythm against a quick Strafford defense that took away Republic’s ability to dribble-drive and kick out for an open shot.
The game was a continuation of a mid-season slump for Republic, which played its best game of the year in beating Nixa a week ago, then got blown out by West Plains and struggled to a win against underdog Parkview.
“We’re just not playing with a lot of energy, and I’m lost with words on it,” coach Kris Flood said. “I know they’re frustrated. I’m frustrated. Tonight, you could tell Strafford came out ready to go. They were fired up, and we act like it’s just another game. We were just going to go through the motions.
“I told them, ‘We’ve got to do a lot of little things right.’ We’ve got some good players, but when we don’t execute on either end, we’re just pretty average.”
Strafford forward Matty Walker dominated in the paint, scoring 26 points, many of them on second chances after a Strafford miss. Strafford also had six three-pointers, one of them by Walker.
Savana Powell-Goodman continued to provide an offensive bright spot for Republic, finishing with 12 points. Jazzy Kirby had ten.
Republic falls to 11-6. Strafford is 17-5.
The Lady Tigers step back into conference play Monday at Branson.
Republic Scoring:
Savana Powell-Goodman 12, Jazzy Kirby 10, Kaemyn Bekemeier 8, Regan Holmes 7, Kaitlyn Ragsdale 4, Rilynn Finley 2, Miha Nambara 2