The Lady Tigers’ postseason started about as well as their regular season ended. Republic steamrolled Willard, ran up a 33-point lead by halftime, and cruised the rest of the night in a 64-30 victory to open the district tournament at Springfield Glendale.
Republic scored 19 consecutive points over the last six minutes of the first quarter, jumping out to a 23-4 lead after the first eight minutes. Alex Price scored eight points to lead Republic in that red-hot first period, and all five starters scored.
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Republic used more full-court pressure than during the teams’ first meeting last week. That led to frequent Willard turnovers and easy baskets in transition for Republic throughout the first half.
After Willard scored a basket to open the second quarter, ending Republic’s 19-0 run, Republic reeled off 11 more consecutive points and outscored Willard 17-1 through the remainder of the first half. By halftime, eight different players had scored for Republic.
In the second half, Willard’s Elise Murray heated up to make it a more even match. Murray scored 14 points in the third quarter, and Republic only extended its lead by three points over that eight-minute frame, leading 60-24 after three periods.
In the fourth quarter, Sammi Watson scored three points and Awbree Berning came off the bench to score her first varsity point as both teams played out the string to the end of the game.
By the time the game was over, ten different players had scored for Republic. Nambara led the way with 15 points, and Molly Blades had 13.
Republic runs its winning streak to 15 games and improves its record to 22-4. Willard finishes its season at 8-18.
The Lady Tigers will meet Nixa in the district semifinals Friday at 8:00. The Lady Eagles beat Lebanon in their quarterfinal game, 96-52.
Score by Quarters
Willard 4 3 17 6 – 30
Republic 23 17 20 4 – 64
Individual Scoring
Misora Nambara 15, Molly Blades 13, Lauren Chastain 8, Alex Price 8, Lanney Strong 6, Alaina Norman 4, Molly Mason 4, Sammi Watson 3, Gracie Woods 2, Awbree Berning 1