Republic blanketed the Blair Oaks Falcons with tight man-to-man defense all day, pulling away in the second half for a 57-40 win in Wardsville Saturday.
The Tigers held Falcon guard Zach Henry, who averaged 30 points per game coming into the day, to eight points. Guarded by Ahlante Askew much of the game, Henry got off only four shots, and one of them was a layup after a steal.
Republic led 10-8 after the first quarter, but pulled away in the middle of the game, out-scoring the Falcons 37-22 in the second and third quarters. The Tigers opened the game up early in the second half after leading 27-17 at the break. They pounded the ball into Khamari Edwards, who scored all six of his points during that stretch, building a 10-point halfitme lead to 15 in the opening minutes of the quarter. The lead eventually stretched to 20.
Brenley Hagewood led three Tigers in double figures with 17 points. He made two of Republic’s seven three-pointers. Ahlante Askew scored 12, including a long three during Republic’s decisive run in the third quarter. Aslan Ebisch finished with ten, and played a big role in the first half effort, when he scored eight.
Republic shot 47% from the floor, 20 of 43. That includes seven threes in 15 attempts. The Tigers also made 10 of 11 free throw attempts. Republic committed eight turnovers to 13 for Blair Oaks.
Republic’s two wins during their central Missouri swing improve their record to 4-1. They’ll be at Hillcrest on December 13.
Score by Quarter
Republic 10 17 20 10 – 57
Blair Oaks 8 9 13 10 – 47
Individual Scoring
Brenley Hagewood 17, Ahlante Askew 12, Aslan Ebisch 10, Khamari Edwards 6, Jordan Douglas 5, James Rexroat 4, Gunner Ellison 3
