Tip-off was set for 9:30 a.m. At about 9:40, the Lady Tigers kicked their game into gear. After underdog Ava (7) built a 10-2 lead, Republic (2) outscored the Bears 25-12 over the rest of the first half on the way to a 61-43 win in the Pink & White Tournament at O’Reilly Family Event Center Tuesday morning.
Ava used its motion offense to befuddle the Lady Tigers in the opening minutes, finishing their possessions with easy layups and short jumpers. And things were even more confused at the offensive end for Republic, with Ava contributing to multiple Republic turnovers and making it difficult for the Lady Tigers to get a good look at the basket. When Republic did get a good shot, it seldom went in.
But a basket by Alaina Norman late in the first quarter, followed by back-to-back buckets by Kaemyn Bekemeier, got the Lady Tigers rolling. When Hope Schatz hit a three-pointer near the end of the first quarter, it cut Ava’s lead to 14-11, the closest it had been since the opening minutes.
Ava stretched its lead back to 21-15, but Republic went on a 12-1 run to end the half, grabbing a 27-22 lead at the break.
“Obviously (Ava) came out a little more ready to go and were kind of taking it to us,” said coach Kris Flood. “We weren’t real aggressive defensively, and we (committed) sloppy turnovers those first three or four possessions.”
The three-pointer by Schatz prompted a flurry of outside shots by Republic. The Lady Tigers made nine in the game, led by Lauren Chastain with four and three by Schatz. Bekemeier and Misora Nambara also contributed one apiece.
Republic outscored Ava 34-21 in the second half to pull away and advance to the semifinals tomorrow at 4:00 pm. The Lady Tigers will meet unseeded Carthage in the semifinals. Carthage beat Ozark (6) and Lebanon (3) in its first two games of the tournament.
Republic Scoring
Kaemyn Bekemeier 15, Hope Schatz 13, Lauren Chastain 12, Rilynn Finley 10, Misora Nambara 7, Alaina Norman 4