Republic finished as runner-up in the Silver Bracket at the Springfield Classic Saturday, winning three and losing three overall in a difficult field of competition.
The Lady Tigers opened with a win over Shiloh Christian, lost their second match to Bentonville West, then beat Springfield Glendale. After a break, Republic met COC rival Nixa, losing a competitive first set 24-26 before ultimately falling in two sets.
Republic finished third in its five-team pool, moving into the Silver Bracket Saturday afternoon. A three-set win over Logan-Rogersville put the Lady Tigers in the championship match against Fort Smith Southside. Southside won the bracket in two sets.
The tournament was a good experience for Republic, according to coach Allison Davis. “Great competition. Probably some of the toughest we’ve seen yet,” she said. “We did some really good things, but we also struggled to finish in other areas.”
Republic’s 3-3 record puts their record at 18-7 overall. That equals their win total from all last season, when the Lady Tigers finished 18-10.
“We’re going to be okay. (It was) a good day for learning,” Davis said. “We have to take things from today that we struggled with and fix them and focus on this next week. This tournament made us better, and it will make us stronger and tougher moving forward.”