Republic clinched the Central Ozark Conference West Division championship Thursday with a 54-16 victory at Parkview.
The Lady Tigers raced to a 22-2 first-quarter lead and never looked back, securing the first conference title under the new divisional format.
Lanney Strong led Republic with 16 points. Eight other players also scored—none of them in double figures—on a balanced offensive night for Republic. They included freshman Libby Steele, who came off the bench in the fourth quarter and made a three-pointer for her first varsity points. Kinley Kilburn also scored her first varsity point with a free throw. Jordin Quessenberry and Chloe Pullan also saw their first varsity action.
Republic’s defense forced 26 Parkview turnovers while committing just eight of their own.
The victory caps a remarkable turnaround for Republic, which started the season 0-5 but has gone 17-4 since.
“I’m proud of them. I think that they earned it,” coach Tori Mooneyham said of her team and its COC West championship. “We had a really rough start to the season and that was hard on them, but they never quit.”
Despite the lopsided win, Mooneyham saw room for improvement heading into district play.
“We didn’t have the greatest game tonight, so that kind of put a little bit of a cloud over us as we’re celebrating,” she said. “Maybe that’s the best thing going into districts, to kind of have an eye opener that there’s still work to be done.”
Republic finishes the regular season at 17-9 overall and undefeated in COC West play.
Keeshyla Harris led Parkview with five points.
Score by Quarters
Parkview 2-5-6-3-16
Republic 22-7-19-6-54
Parkview Scoring
Keeshyla Harris 5, Alina Silva 4, Deandranae Dailey 2, Brooklyn Haines 2, Rachel Leveille 2, Shiloh Giles 1
Republic Scoring
Lanney Strong 16, Sammi Watson 8, Paelyn Gilmore 7, Josie Stalzer 7, Cora Cutbirth 7, Kaylee Cornelsen 3, Libby Steele 3, Addie Brown 2, Kinley Kilburn 1
Republic Lady Tigers (54) vs. Parkview Lady Vikings (16)
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republic | 22 | 7 | 19 | 6 | 54 |
| Parkview | 2 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 16 |
| Player | PTS | 2PT | 3PT | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lanney Strong (#14) | 16 | 5 | 1 | 3 |
| Sammi Watson (#13) | 8 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Paelyn Gilmore (#1) | 7 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Josie Stalzer (#10) | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Cora Cutbirth (#15) | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Kaylee Cornelsen (#5) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Libby Steele (#24) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Addie Brown (#23) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Kinley Kilburn (#22) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Player | PTS | 2PT | 3PT | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keeshyla Harris (#2) | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Alina Silva (#11) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Deandranae Dailey (#10) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Brooklyn Haines (#12) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Rachel Leveille (#13) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Shiloh Giles (#32) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
