It didn’t take long for Republic to prove it has plenty of talent besides star senior Kaemyn Bekemeier. The Lady Tigers rallied late without Bekemeier, fighting off state-ranked Strafford for a 59-53 win to open the season.
With five and a half minutes left in the game, Strafford had erased a 16-point first-half lead and Bekemeier was headed to the bench after fouling out. The Republic lead was down to two points, and Strafford seemed to have all the momentum.
But from that point on, Republic’s supporting cast took over. The Lady Tigers outscored Strafford 9-5 during the game’s final minutes, pulling away for a 59-53 lead while Bekemeier cheered them on from the bench.
“I think that helps those young kids and gives them a little confidence,” said coach Kris Flood.
The first half had belonged to Republic, and in the second quarter, it seemed the Lady Tigers might run away with the game. Republic held Strafford to just five points in the quarter, building a 30-16 lead at halftime. But Strafford caught fire in the third quarter, scoring 23 points. Laney Humble made four three-pointers, and Brooklyn Adney made two more, helping the Lady Indians cut the Republic lead to 43-39.
Flood said he warned his team that Strafford was going to heat up — but he didn’t expect it to that extent.
“They’re too good a shooting team to go that long,” he said. “But I didn’t expect for them to blow up like that. There was the one kid who hit four threes in the third quarter. That’s something I didn’t plan on.”
Strafford outscored Republic 7-2 to start the fourth quarter, briefly taking the lead 46-45. But a three-point play by Bekemeier at the other end put Republic back on top, and the Lady Tigers never relinquished the lead.
Despite playing in constant foul trouble, Bekemeier still managed to score 17 points. She had nine in the first quarter. Alaina Norman also finished with 17. Misora Nambara was also in double figures with 12.
Flood said he’s proud of the way his players responded to the adversity, and it’s a test of things to come for the Lady Tigers.
“Even when they went ahead, we came right back and got a three-point play. It’s a good test coming out of the gate. We’re going to have to expect that. Especially this pre-Christmas stretch, it’s going to be tough early.”
Republic improves to 1-0 and will play in the tournament semifinals at Willard Friday at 4 p.m. We will broadcast the game live.
Score by Quarter
Strafford 11 5 23 14 – 53
Republic 17 13 13 16 – 59
Individual Scoring
Kaemyn Bekemeier 17, Alaina Norman 17, Misora Nambara 12, Alex Price 4, Molly Blades 4, Hope Schatz 3, Lauren Chastain 2
