After three wins in four days to open the season, coach Kris Flood assessed what he’s learned about his Lady Tigers. “They’ve got some toughness,” he said after their 44-42 win over Blue Springs in the championship game of the Willard Lady Tiger Basketball Classic.
“Some of those kids have been through it a little bit, but I feel good about some of the kids that we bring off the bench that can help and contribute. Not just relief minutes, but they come in and make a contribution and are factors in the game.”
Republic’s toughness was on full display Saturday night against Blue Springs. The Lady Tigers overcame another difficult shooting night with tight defense, keeping the game close even while they went more than a quarter without a field goal.
Republic jumped ahead 6-0 with 4:40 remaining in the first quarter, but then went silent on the offensive end of the floor. Blue Springs outscored Republic 21-5 over the next eight and a half minutes. Republic’s only points during that stretch were free throws. At one point, Blue Springs built a 12-point lead, 21-9.
A short run at the end of the second quarter got the Lady Tigers back without striking distance, though. Republic closed out the half with a 9-4 run to make the halftime score 23-18.
Blue Springs leaned on Kayleigh Jenkins heavily in the second quarter as it built a lead. Jenkins scored nine points in the quarter and 13 in the first half. She was a focus of the discussion at halftime for Republic, and Republic held her to four points in the second half while holding the entire Blue Springs lineup to just 19 points.
“We made an adjustment on her and kind of slowed her down some,” Flood said. “I thought tonight was a lot better as far as contesting things and getting in passing lanes. They had some open shots, but especially in the second half, there wasn’t a ton.”
Republic tied the game early in the third quarter and re-took the lead with about five minutes left in the third quarter when Misora Nambara made a three-pointer to make the score 26-24. That capped a 13-1 run for Republic that had begun in the second quarter.
Republic led 33-32 when the fourth quarter began, and the final eight minutes was back and forth. Blue Springs took a 34-33 lead, but Bekemeier answered with a three-pointer to make it 36-34. Blue Springs trailed by three points when Nikole Schnell made a three-pointer to tie the game again, 42-42, in the final minute.
That set up the Lady Tigers’ final winning possession. After a couple of timeouts, Bekemeier got the ball and drove to the basket, drawing a foul on the way with 4.4 seconds remaining. She made two free throws, and Molly Blades stole a long pass downcourt on the ensuing in-bounds play to seal the win.
Bekemeier led the team with 17 points, and Nambara also finished in double figures with 11.
Republic earned the tournament championship in its first year in the field. And Flood said the three victories over Strafford, Harrison, Ark., and Blue Springs set his team up for future success.
“With the three teams we just played, I think that will only help us as we progress forward,” he said.
Republic improves to 3-0. Blue Springs is 2-1.
Score by Quarter
Blue Springs 9 14 9 10 – 42
Republic 7 11 15 11 – 44
Individual Scoring
Kaemyn Bekemeier 17, Misora Nambara 11, Hope Schatz 8, Alaina Norman 3, Lauren Chastain 3, Molly Mason 2