Republic used a fourth-quarter surge to fly past the Miller Lady Cardinals 52-45. The Lady Tigers trailed by a point going into the fourth quarter, but outscored Miller 16-8 over the final eight minutes to avoid the upset.
Senior-heavy Miller, ranked #1 in the state in Class 2, used its quickness and composure to hang with the Lady Tigers all night. Claudia Hadlock did the bulk of the scoring early, pouring in 15 first-half points before being quieted by Republic’s defense in the second half. She finished with 20.
Republic led 16-14 at the end of the first quarter and 23-22 at halftime. But Miller started the second half on a 13-6 run to take a six-point lead at 35-29.
Republic stayed in the game on the strength of its guard play. Misora Nambara and Hope Schatz teamed up for one of the key plays of the night. With 2:1 left in the third quarter, Nambara penetrated the lane, split a double-team, found Schatz in the corner, and Schatz drained a three-pointer to cut the lead to 35-32. Nambara and Bekemeier hit back-to-back jumpers on the next two possessions, and Republic retook the lead.
In the fourth, Republic’s guards stepped up again. Bekemeier scored six points in the final period, while Schatz and Nambara each had another three-pointer. Lauren Chastain also made a couple of big defensive plays to aid the comeback.
Coach Kris Flood said his team began to take control when its effort picked up in the fourth quarter.
“We were letting them beat us one-on-one, and I guess barking at them finally woke them up. That effort in the fourth quarter was totally different, and obviously, the result was (good). We got some good looks and got some easy baskets,” he said. “It just boiled down to, our defnsive effort wasn’t quite there, and we finally, about the fourth quarter, started to figure it out.
“We hit some… really critical shots, too. That always helps, (and) gives you that little bit of a shot in the arm as far as wanting to play on the other end.”
The win improves Republic’s record to 4-2 heading into the Pink & White tournament after Christmas. Both of Republic’s losses are to state-ranked teams (Incarnate Word and Kickapoo) and the Lady Tigers have wins over state-ranked El Dorado Springs and Miller.
“To come out of this pre-Pink and White time 4-2, I would have taken that at any point, considering who we were playing,” Flood said.
Republic opens the Pink & White Monday against Waynesville.
Scoring
Kaemyn Bekemeier 18, Hope Schatz 10, Misora Nambara 9, Lauren Chastain 7, Rilynn Finley 6, Alaina Norman 2