In a game of runs, Republic’s last run was enough to put away pesky Webb City in a Saturday afternoon home game, 54-42. After Webb City cut an 18-point lead down to six, Republic scored the last six points of the game to put the Cardinals away.
When the game began, it looked like the Lady Tigers would run away with it. Webb City didn’t even get a shot off until about five minutes into the action, and Republic had build a 14-5 lead by the end of the first quarter. But Republic didn’t shoot well in the first half, and frequent turnovers helped Webb City fight its way back. The Cardinals scored the first 12 points of the second quarter to take a 17-14 lead before Republic pulled itself back together. The Lady Tigers the last six points of the quarter to retake the lead by halftime, 24-19.
In the second half, Republic opened with another big run, pushing the lead to 37-19 before Webb City pushed back. Sami Mancini, a 6’4″ freshman, came off the bench and dominated down low. She finished with 19 points, and her presence inside frustrated Republic in its half-court offense. She helped the Cardinals close the gap again with an 11-point fourth quarter. Webb City got as close as six points, 48-42, before Republic closed out the game with a 6-0 run. Misora Nambara had three free throws in the final minutes to help secure the win.
The Lady Tigers were led by Kaemyn Bekemeier’s 27 points. In the first half, Bekemeier surpassed Republic’s single-season scoring record of 540 points in a season, which had been set by Ashley Fry in 1996. Bekemeier has 555 points this season. She now holds the single-game and single-season scoring marks for Republic.
Republic improved to 18-6 overall, 7-1 in the COC. Webb City is 10-13 (2-5).
The Lady Tigers play their final home game of the season Monday against Ozark on Senior Night.
Republic Scoring
Kaemyn Bekemeier 27, Rilynn Finley 8, Hope Schatz 6, Miha Nambara 6, Alaina Norman 4, Misora Nambara 3,
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