Republic leaned on its grinding defense to stay perfect Tuesday night, wearing down Ozark in a 56-40 win that pushed their record to 12-0. The Tigers held their fourth straight opponent under 50 points while matching the second-best start in program history.
CJ Uhl led Republic with 15 points and Brenley Hagewood added 12. Hudson Roberts scored 12 for Ozark.
Republic’s defense continued a strong run that began in December. In the Tigers’ last seven games, only two opponents have scored more than 50 points. Hillcrest and West Plains (in overtime) each scored 53. Coach Tim Brown credited his team’s athleticism and pressure defense, anchored by Uhl in the paint.
“Since our game on December 20th, not many teams have made it to 50. We knew that was an area that we wanted to be better at,” Brown said. “Having big CJ on the back end really makes us a lot more brave on the perimeter and what kind of pressure we can put on them.”
Despite the win, Republic’s offense struggled early. The Tigers led 21-17 at halftime before finding their rhythm in the third quarter.
“I thought in the second half, we got whatever shot we wanted and had guys step up and make it,” Brown said. “Proud of our kids for grinding through those first two quarters.”
Hagewood credited his teammates for picking up the slack when Ozark’s defense focused on him.
“They shut me down pretty good. They’re very physical,” Hagewood said. “The reason that we got this win done is because all my guys showed up today, and everybody did their part.”
Brown praised point guard Keiran Govan, who scored nine points. “I can’t say enough about the floor game that Keiran Govan continues to play. When you have a point guard that can stop the other team’s best player from scoring and help your guys be put in situations to score, that’s what you want.”
Govan, who had struggled at the free throw line early in the season as he recovered from a wrist injury, made seven of eight free throws.
The win matches Republic’s second-best start in program history. The 1961-62 team also started 12-0, while the 1992-93 team opened 18-0. It was Nixa who ended Republic’s perfect run in 1993. This year’s Tigers will travel to Nixa to look for win number 13 on Friday night.
Score by Quarters
Ozark: 11-6-11-12-40
Republic: 9-12-18-17-56
Ozark Scoring
Hudson Roberts 12, Jack Berryman 9, Kylan Pickren 8, Jaxon Dublin 4, Drew Hayward 3, Jacob Harmon 2, Hendrix Haymes 2
Republic Scoring
CJ Uhl 15, Brenley Hagewood 12, Keiran Govan 9, Brody Blades 9, Davin Parks 4, Trenten Coleman 4, Ryder Davis 3
