Republic rebounded from a slow start to surge past Carl Junction in the second and third quarters, outpacing the Bulldogs for a 60-43 win on Senior Night. All four Republic seniors — Jordan Douglas, Aslan Ebisch, Owen Fry, and James Rexroat — scored for the Tigers to help them close out the regular season on a winning note.
The game started slowly for both teams in a first quarter that stood out mostly for its poor shooting. Only one player for either team, Republic’s Brenley Hagewood, managed more than one field goal in the first eight minutes. Carl Junction led 8-7 at the end of the first quarter
Republic climbed back on top in the second quarter and held a one-point edge, 17-16, before a decisive 16-2 run helped the Tigers take control. During that stretch, Republic scored the last seven points of the second quarter and the first six points of the third quarter, extending its lead to 33-17.
Carl Junction never got the lead down to single digits again. Republic led 47-29 at the end of the third quarter. During the second and third quarters, the Tigers outscored the Bulldogs by a combined 40-21.
Before the game, Republic honored seniors Douglas, Ebisch, Fry, and Rexroat. Coach Tim Brown said he values their contributions beyond what they bring to the team during games.
“They’re all just really good kids. Not only good athletes, but they’re leaders in our school, leaders in the classroom, high academic kids,” said coach Tim Brown. “They’re just a pleasure to be around every single day, and when you have kids like that, it makes it a lot of fun to go to work every day.”
Junior Brenley Hagewood led Republic with 25 points, but all four seniors scored to help punctuate the evening. Douglas made four three-pointers to finish with 12, Ebisch scored eight, Fry scored two, and Rexroat had one point.
Republic wraps up its regular season with a 15-11 record. The Tigers finished 5-4 in the Central Ozark Conference. They will open district play at Glendale next Thursday against Glendale.
Editor’s Note: During the playoffs, our live broadcasts will be carried only on the MSHSAA.tv pay-per-view platform. We’ll release information about those broadcasts when we have details.