Republic blew open a close game in the third quarter, then fought off a late charge by state-ranked Marshfield in the fourth quarter to win 60-55 in the championship game of the Nixa Invitational Tournament Saturday. Misora Nambara stepped up with five fourth-quarter free throws and two key steals to seal the win.
From a tie score at halftime, Republic built a 14-point lead, only to watch it slip away when Marshfield reeled off 13 consecutive points in the fourth quarter. The Lady Tigers led 53-39 with 2:41 left in the game, but Marshfield scored 13 unanswered points in one minute and 11 seconds, pulling to within 53-52 with 1:30 remaining. Republic turned the ball over three times during that stretch, and Marshfield’s Lauren Luebbert got hot from three-point range. She made four threes in the fourth quarter to lead the Marshfield charge.
But after a timeout, Nambara drew a foul and sank two free throws. At the other end of the floor, she tipped a pass and stole the ball back, drew a foul, and made one of two free throws to make the score 56-52. On the next Marshfield possession, Nambara stole the ball again, went to the line again, and made both free throws to extend the lead to 58-52 with about 30 seconds remaining. From there, Republic held off the Lady Jays to win the championship.
The teams had gone into the halftime break tied 26-26, but coach Kris Flood said he knew the Lady Tigers had room for improvement in the second half.
“We just talked about having better possessions offensively, being a little more patient, (and) making a few more passes,” Flood said of the halftime conversation. “We started hitting a few shots, and obviously that helped.”
Lanney Strong scored eight points and Lauren Chastain scored six in a big third quarter for Republic. When it ended, the Lady Tigers led 48-34. Chastain and Nambara each finished with 16 points, and Lanney Strong scored 12 in the game.
This is the first time Republic has won the Nixa Invitational Tournament. They were runners-up in 2019, 2020, and 2021. They defeated three state-ranked teams during this year’s tournament to win the title, knocking off Cape Girardeau Notre Dame, Nixa, and Marshfield.
Republic is off until next Thursday, when Strafford comes to town for a JV and varsity matchup. The junior varsity game will start at 6:00 with the varsity to follow. Republic Tiger Sports will carry the varsity game live.
Score by Quarters
Marshfield 10 16 8 21 – 55
Republic 13 13 22 12 – 60
Individual Scoring
Lauren Chastain 16, Misora Nambara 16, Lanney Strong 12, Alex Price 6, Alaina Norman 4, Molly Mason 2, Gracie Woods 2, Molly Blades 2