Awbree Berning stepped to the free throw line with 20.1 seconds left, drew from a recent lesson, and calmly sank two free throws to help Republic secure a 55-50 victory over West Plains Monday night.
“When we needed to go to overtime against Ozark, I freaked out during my free throws,” Berning said. “So today, I took them one step at a time, just making sure I focused really hard and made sure I made those free throws for my team.”
Berning’s free throws pushed Republic’s one-point lead to three, at 53-50, and from there, the Lady Tigers hung on for the win with a final defensive stand. Paelyn Gilmore had two pass deflections that ran valuable seconds off the clock during West Plains’ final opportunity.
Lanney Strong poured in 24 points, including 19 during a crucial stretch spanning the second and third quarters, as Republic erased an early deficit and held on late.
“I think just the momentum of the game (got me going). Games like that, when they’re close, are exciting. When I can step up and help my team like that, that’s exciting,” Strong said.
Berning’s impact wasn’t limited to her late free throws. She spent much of the night defending Gullian Green, West Plains’ talented 5’11” freshman.
“I knew that my goal was to try not to let her get the ball,” Berning said. “Even when she did get the ball, we saw her moves in film, so my goal was just to keep her down, try to box her out, and keep her from doing the most for her team.”
Cora Cutbirth added 11 points for Republic, while Green had 12 and Zoe Shrubb scored 10 for West Plains.
Republic coach Tori Mooneyham said her team’s ability to stay close despite early trouble against the Lady Zizzers’ full-court press was a key to the win. She contrasted it to a loss at Nixa, in which Republic fell behind 17-2.
“You take that Nixa game and we played the next three quarters with them. Even though we were trailing (tonight)… it wasn’t a significant difference. For some reason with this team, it just takes them a little bit to get settled and adjust to the defense.”
The win was a team effort for Republic, with everyone on the floor contributing at key moments, whether it was offense or defense.
“At times as a coach, it was hard to know who to have on the floor, which that’s a good problem to have,” Mooneyham said. “We may not have a bunch of superstars, but we have a lot of depth.”
Republic improves to 6-7. The Lady Tigers are 6-2 since starting the season with five losses in a row. They’ll have ten days off before competing in the Nixa Invitational late next week.
Score by Quarters
West Plains 18-10-13-9–50
Republic 14-14-13-14–55
West Plains Scoring
Gullian Green 12, Zoe Shrubb 10, Ainsley McWilliams 10, Lucy Hafer 8, Ashley Culton 4, Shaylee Peterson 4, Zoe Scharnhorst 2
Republic Scoring
Lanney Strong 24, Cora Cutbirth 11, Paelyn Gilmore 6, Awbree Berning 6, Addie Brown 4, Josie Stalzer 2, Sammi Watson 2
