Republic played great at both ends of the floor in the first half, then relied on defense when it counted to hold off Blue Springs South in the opening round of the Stephanie Phillips Classic at Kickapoo High School Thursday night. The Lady Tigers built a 19-point lead in the first half, saw it erode away to five points in the fourth quarter, then turned things around long enough to pull out a victory, 49-36.
Game Replay:
Molly Blades sparked Republic offensively in the first quarter, helping the Lady Tigers jump to a 20-9 lead during the first eight minutes of play. She had 11 of her team-high 15 points in the first quarter.
Republic had two 11-0 runs over the first nine minutes of the game.
The hot offensive start cooled down in the second quarter, Republic’s defense more than made up for it. The Lady Tigers scored 12 points in the quarter but allowed only six, building a 32-15 lead at half. At one point in the second quarter, Republic led by 19.
But the second half was a different story, especially in the third quarter. Blue Springs South continued to struggle against Republic’s defense, but the Lady Tigers had even bigger problems on their offensive end. It took nearly five minutes for Republic to score a point in the second half, and before Molly Mason made a free throw with 3:01 left in the period, the 19-point lead had shrunk to 12 points. It remained a 12-point game as the third quarter ended, 36-24.
Blue Springs South used a 9-2 run early in the fourth quarter to cut Republic’s lead to five points. Kendall Puryear, the 6’2″ senior forward, played with more physicality in the second half to help fuel the comeback. She finished with a game-high 18 points.
But the Jaguars never got closer than five points the rest of the way. Alaina Norman scored a big bucket inside with 3:00 remaining. She sealed off Puryear to get position on the right block, took a bounce pass from Lanney Strong, and laid the ball in to make the score 40-33. After a turnover at the other end, Norman again got the ball inside, drew a foul from Puryear, and made two free throws. Blue Springs South only scored three points after that, as Republic iced the game at the free throw line.
Blue Springs South falls to 1-2. The Lady Tigers improve to 3-2 and will play Columbia Battle tomorrow at 4:00 pm. Republic Tiger Sports will carry the game live.
Score by Quarters
Blue Springs South 9 6 9 12 – 36
Republic 20 12 4 13 – 49
Individual Scoring
Molly Blades 15, Lauren Chastain 9, Misora Nambara 8, Lanney Strong 6, Molly Mason 6, Alaina Norman 5