Troy held off a furious fourth-quarter Republic rally to win 48-46 Thursday night in the opening round of the Nixa Invitational Tournament. Troy is the sixth state-ranked opponent to defeat the Lady Tigers this season.
The Class 6 10th-ranked Trojans’ defensive pressure stifled Republic early. Six-foot Ellie Moore and 5’11” Miley Twellman anchored Troy’s defense, clogging passing lanes and forcing frequent turnovers. Republic managed just four field goals in the first half and trailed 23-18 at the break.
Troy pushed its lead to 31-21 midway through the third quarter before Republic began chipping away. The Lady Tigers opened the fourth quarter with five straight points, starting with Addie Brown’s three-pointer from the left corner. Paelyn Gilmore followed with a steal and layup to cut Troy’s lead to 35-33.
Lanney Strong converted a three-point play off an assist from Awbree Berning to pull Republic within one at 41-40. The Lady Tigers got within a point twice more but never tied the score. Gilmore’s long three-pointer with two seconds remaining made it 47-46, but Republic couldn’t get another shot off after Troy’s Mya Robinson made a free throw at the other end of the floor.
“They have a lot of (defensive) pressure. They get after it, and I knew that was my number one concern,” said Republic coach Tori Mooneyham. “I don’t think we handled it well the first half. I think we adjusted a little bit second half and handled it better, and that got us back in the game.”
Mooneyham’s adjustment to a five-out offense helped spark the comeback. “It’s not really any different than having your post in there, but I guess mentally they felt like there was more opportunity to drive or cut,” she said. “We had a state-ranked team to two points and almost got it done. We’ve just got to get over the hump in those big games.”
Mya Robinson led Troy (13-3) with 19 points and Ava Meyers added 11. Strong scored 13 and Gilmore had 10 for Republic (6-8).
Republic will face Columbia Battle in the consolation semifinals at 4:00 Friday.
Score by Quarters
Troy 13-10-12-13-48
Republic 9-9-10-18-46
Troy Trojans Scoring
Mya Robinson 19, Ava Meyers 11, Ellie Moore 7, Alyssa Schulte 4, Ashlynn Meyers 3, Miley Twellman 2, Avery Daugherty 2
Republic Scoring
Lanney Strong 13, Paelyn Gilmore 10, Addie Brown 8, Awbree Berning 6, Josie Stelzer 5, Cora Cutbirth 4
