The Tigers fought off an underdog for the second straight night, and they did it in characteristic fashion – with lockdown defense. Second-seeded Republic held #5 Sparta to only three points in the third quarter, and that stretch made the difference in a 51–46 victory to earn Republic its first Blue and Gold Tournament championship since 2016.
“Anybody that knows anything about Republic basketball knows that we guard and will do what we have to do to give ourselves a chance to win,” said coach Tim Brown. ‘That’s what we pride ourselves on, and we’re better offensively (this season), but I think the defensive side of the ball is what won us the game tonight.”
Sparta grabbed a lead after the first quarter with some tough defense of its own, holding the Tigers to seven points and taking a 10-7 lead after one. But Republic got moving offensively in the second quarter and tained a 24-23 lead at halftime. James Rexroat fueled the turnaround with six points in the quarter, and Ahlanta Askew added five to hlep the Tigers regain the lead.
Coming out of the halftime break, Republic’s defense stepped up to shut down Jacob Lafferty of Sparta. Lafferty, who had been a star of the tournament through the first three rounds, torched Republic’s defense for 13 points in the first half. But in the third quarter, neither he nor any of his teammates were able to get the ball in the basket. Sparta managed just one free throw until Lafferty made a jump shot just ahead of the buzzer, giving Sparta three points in the quarter. The Tigers led by as many as ten points, and held onto an eight-point lead as the fourth quarter began, 34-26.
“I think we guarded well all night. There were a lot of times tonight when we had a lot of empty (possessions),” Brown said. “Then even after we got that ten-point lead, I think it was our best stretch of basketball where we were able to get stops, scores, and stops.”
Despite Republic’s third-quarter run, Sparta didn’t go away. They mounted a raly in the fourth quarter, and when Lafferty stole the ball and threw down a breakaway dunk to cut the lead to 42-41, Great Southern Bank Arena erupted in support of the Trojans.
“It’s hard when a team makes a run like that. There’s a lot of people cheering for Sparta tonight, and they kept their poise and were able to pull it out,” Brown said.
Free throws helped the Tigers seal the deal in the fourth quarter. Askew made seven of eight from the line and Aslan Ebisch made four of four to hold off Sparta, who never managed to retake the lead after pulling to within a point.
Ahlante Askew finished with 22 points to lead Republic. He finishes his career as a blue and gold participant with 222 career points in the tournament. That ties him for 15th all time.
Brown joins a small group of four other coaches who have won the Blue & Gold Tournament as both a player and a coach. He won two championships as a player at Rogersville. But he said he appreciates this championship more.
“I think it’s a lot more special as a coach. As a player…you don’t realize how hard it is. You get four years to do it as a player, and this is my, I think, 13th or 14th year as a coach, and to finally get one, I think it means more as a coach because you’re sharing it with so many other people. I have three assistants who all have state championship rings, and they didn’t have a Blue & Gold title, so that tells you how hard it is to win one of these things.”
For Republic, it’s the seventh Blue & Gold championship. The Tigers won three times in the 2010s. The last time was a win over Springfield Glendale in 2016.
Republic improves to 10-1 this season. They’re off until a game against Springfield Central at home next week.
Score by Quarters
Sparta 10 13 3 20 – 46
Republic 7 17 10 17 – 51
Individual Scoring
Ahlante Askew 22, Aslan Ebisch 8, Brenley Hagewood 8, James Rexroat 6, Isaiah Nabors 3, Khamari Edwards 2