The Republic Lady Tigers outscored Ozark 10-6 in overtime to capture a 53-49 victory at home on Monday. The win marks Republic’s fifth win in the last six games.
Republic jumped out to a 17-8 lead after one quarter, helped by two Sammi Watson three-pointers and Paelyn Gilmore’s buzzer-beating trey for her first career varsity points. The Lady Tigers led 24-21 at halftime and extended their advantage to 37-27 by the end of the third quarter, when Josie Stalzer drained a long three-pointer at the buzzer.
Ozark mounted its comeback with four three-pointers in the fourth quarter, putting together a 12-0 run to take a 41-39 lead with 2:50 remaining. Senior Lanney Strong ended the run with a driving basket that helped Republic regain its footing, and the teams ended regulation tied at 43.
Republic controlled most of the overtime period, but led by just two points with 50 seconds remaining when Gilmore made the defensive play of the game. She split two defenders and knocked the ball away to give Republic possession. After a missed free throw, Cora Cutbirth grabbed the rebound and scored to make it 52-48, effectively sealing the win.
Cutbirth, a sophomore, led Republic with a career-high 20 points, just one game after posting a double-double in Republic’s win over Waynesville. For Ozark, Avery Havens led all scorers with 23 points.
Coach Tori Mooneyham said Ozark’s three-point barrage, coupled with her team’s struggles at the free throw line, played a big role in the momentum swing toward the visitors in the fourth quarter.
“They shot the ball well… they knocked down several threes and just got the momentum and kind of got us out of sorts,” she said. “We missed 14 free throws. We missed six in overtime, so we kind of hurt ourselves a lot just with that,” Mooneyham said.
Strong, the only returning player from last year’s team, hit her crucial basket late to help Republic slow Ozark’s momentum. “Lanney’s just a leader, and she leads by example,” Mooneyham said. “She’s been in those big games, and she knows what it takes. She stepped up big when it counted, and it ended up working out for us.”
Score by Period
Ozark 8-13-6-16-6 – 49
Republic 17-7-13-6-10 – 53
Individual Scoring
Ozark: Avery Havens 23, Kori Roussell 9, Carsyn Wood 5, Lauren Carson 4, Maggie Sult 4, Lyla Wood 3, Kelly Navizovskyy 1
Republic: Cora Cutbirth 20, Sammi Watson 9, Awbree Berning 8, Lanney Strong 6, Josie Stalzer 5, Paelyn Gilmore 5
