Central found a way to silence Brenley Hagewood in the 3rd quarter. They just couldn’t keep him quiet when it mattered most. After a scoreless 3rd period threatened to undo his 16-point first half, Hagewood erupted for eight 4th-quarter points, including six crucial free throws. Meanwhile, Davin Parks picked the perfect time to assert himself, slashing through Central’s defense for three 4th-quarter baskets as Republic earned a 65-63 victory in Saturday’s Republic Invitational championship game. It’s the first time Republic has won its home tournament since 2020.
The game featured all the drama you’d expect from two powerhouse programs, with multiple lead changes and clutch performances on both sides. Central jumped out early, building a 17-12 advantage after the first quarter, but Republic responded with a commanding second period. The Tigers outscored the Bulldogs 23-13 in that eight-minute stretch, giving Republic a 35-30 lead at halftime.
Central wasn’t done, though. The Bulldogs came out strong after the break, reclaiming the lead and holding a slim 45-44 edge heading into the final quarter. The fourth quarter turned into a shootout between Central’s Keion Epps and Hagewood. Epps erupted for 14 of his game-high 26 points in the final period. But Central struggled to find other scoring options, managing only two other field goals – both from Dayton Huskey – in the quarter.
After Central took a 57-56 lead with under two minutes remaining, Republic reeled off seven consecutive points to build a 63-57 advantage. Hagewood was clutch at the free-throw line, converting six crucial attempts in the fourth quarter to help seal the victory. His last two free throws made it a five-point lead for Republic before Epps made a three-pointer at the buzzer to cut down the final margin.
Hagewood’s 24 points led Republic. Davis added 12 points, including three critical three-pointers. Uhl scored 11 before fouling out.
Epps led Central with 26 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter. Pittman scored 19 before fouling out.
Brown credited his team for staying upbeat after a sloppy win on the first night of the tournament.
“We played really well. I was proud of our guys,” said Republic head coach Tim Brown. “They stayed positive after that first night. We were honest about it. We were accountable for it. And they’ve really looked the way that we really want them to play.”
Brown pointed to the Tigers’ ability to handle Central’s defensive pressure as a key factor. “The main key was winning the game in the volleyball court,” Brown said. “We had turnovers – obviously, they’re a team that’s gonna turn you over – but we didn’t have very many ‘pick sixes’ as we call them. We didn’t have turnovers for baskets.”
“We’re still not perfect. We’ve got things to clean up,” Brown said. “I still feel like we have a really high ceiling, and don’t feel like we’re anywhere close to what we want our basketball team to be. But we have the intangibles and kind of the DNA to be a really good basketball team.”
Score by Quarters
Central: 17-13-15-18 — 63
Republic: 12-23-9-21 — 65
Central scoring: Keion Epps 26, Jordan Pittman 19, Devin Sanford 9, Dayton Huskey 7, Brody Holland 2.
Republic scoring: Brenley Hagewood 24, Ryder Davis 12, CJ Uhl 11, Davin Parks 6, Brody Blades 6, Keiran Govan 6
