The Lady Tigers fought back from an 11-point first-half deficit in the championship game of the Pink & White Tournament against Kickapoo Thursday afternoon, but eventually fell short in a 50-39 loss.
When Hope Schatz drained a three-pointer late in the third quarter, the Lady Tigers had the lead down to two points, at 36-34. But that was as close as the game would be the rest of the day. Kickapoo’s Bella Fontleroy promptly drained a three-pointer of her own ahead of the third-quarter buzzer, making the score 39-34, and regaining the momentum Kickapoo had built in the first half.
The Lady Chiefs outscored Republic the rest of the way 11-5, finishing with an 11-point win after beating Republic by ten points earlier in the season.
Fontleroy led all scorers with 23 points. Kaemyn Bekemeier led Republic with 18.
Republic falls to 7-3, finishing the Pink & White with a 3-1 record. The Lady Tigers beat Waynesville, Ava, and Carthage to reach the finals.
Republic Scoring
Kaemyn Bekemeier 18, Hope Schatz 13, Rilynn Finley 5, Misora Nambara 3