After its worst shooting performance of the season Tuesday at Ozark, Tim Brown thought his team seemed worried the trend would continue during the first few minutes of a home game against Neosho. But the Tigers shook off their early jitters and stormed back to beat the Wildcats 64-53 Friday.
Neosho led by as many as nine points in the first half before the Republic offense began to click.
“I thought our kids were just kind of tentative and had a little doubt,” Brown said. “As poorly as we shot the ball on Tuesday, I think everyone was a little hesitant to see what one of those shots was going to look like to start the game. It’s what we saw in practice yesterday, too.
“We kind of felt a little tight offensively…but I told them we’ve got good players, we’ve got a good team… we’ve gotta let it fly.”
The Tigers trailed 21-12 in the opening minute of the second quarter when Brown called a time out. On the next possession, Brenley Hagewood let it fly and splashed in a pull-up jumper from the free throw line That set off a 17-2 run for the Tigers. By the time it ended, Republic was on top 29-23. Neosho’s Isaiah Green scored just before halftime to cut Republic’s lead to 29-25 at the halfway point.
During that second-quarter run, senior Gunner Ellison stepped up with eight points, including two three-pointers to help spark the offense. Khamari Edwards also had four during the Tigers’ run.
“This time of year, your seniors are really important. You go as far as your seniors take you,” said Brown. “You’ve got seniors who have a little more urgency because they understand what’s going on in their lives and their athletic careers.
“And Gunner’s just a gamer. You watch the big plays he’s made on the football field and he’s made big plays for us all year.”
Ellison finished with 12 points, joined in double-figures by Hagewood (17) and Ahlante Askew (14).
Before the game, Republic honored two state championship teams on the anniversaries of their titles: the 1963 Class M state champs and the 2013 Class 4 state champs.
The loss drops Neosho to 18-6 (5-2 in the Central Ozark Conference). Republic improves to 21-3 (5-2).
Republic plays next at home Tuesday night against Willard. It’s part of a girls and boys super night that will include six games.
Score by Quarters
Neosho 15 10 10 18 – 53
Republic 12 17 16 19 – 64
Individual Scoring
Brenley Hagewood 17, Ahlante Askew 14, Gunner Ellison 12, Khamari Edwards 8, Aslan Ebisch 6, James Rexroat 4