A season of remarkable turnaround ended with a thud for the Republic Lady Tigers, who fell to Kickapoo 57-21 in the Class 6 District 5 semifinal at Ozark Saturday afternoon. The Lady Tigers, who rebounded from an 0-5 start to finish 18-10 overall, couldn’t find an answer for Kickapoo’s aggressive defensive schemes.
Republic managed just two field goals in the first half — both three-pointers from senior Sammi Watson. The first came less than two minutes into the game, and the second nearly six minutes into the second quarter, leaving Republic with more than 12 minutes of scoreless basketball in between.
Kickapoo led 14-3 after the first quarter and 28-7 at halftime. The Lady Chiefs extended their lead to 50-15 after three quarters.
“Obviously it wasn’t the way we wanted to end. I don’t feel like that game is a very good representation of how far we have come throughout the season, so it was disappointing to lose like that,” said coach Tori Mooneyham. “I told them you have to learn from it. We have a lot of kids coming back and returning next year, and when you get to the district level, the teams that take it to the next level are the teams that advance.”
Thursday’s game marked the third time Republic faced Kickapoo this season. After losing by 21 in the first meeting, Republic had narrowed the gap to just eight points in their second encounter. But rather than continuing to close the gap, Republic faced an even more daunting challenge when Kickapoo unveiled new defensive strategies.
“(Kickapoo coach Leslie Hanchey) threw some things at us that she did not last time. That pressure got us—their press, their half-court press, just some things that we didn’t handle well,” Mooneyham said. “And teams that have pressured us like that throughout the year, we have struggled with. We didn’t see that out of her last game, and she brought all the weapons tonight.”
Watson led Republic with six points in her final game. Fellow senior Lanney Strong added four points. Kaylee Cornelsen, the third senior on the roster, was sidelined with illness.
Josie Salazar and Mikayla Pilley combined for 29 points to lead Kickapoo, which advances to face Nixa for the district championship.
Score by Quarters
Kickapoo 14-14-22-7-57
Republic 3-4-8-6-21
Kickapoo Scoring
Josie Salazar 15, Mikayla Pilley 14, Lexi Ringgold 8, Allison Scott 6, Anyiah Doig 5, Taylyn Whited 4, Katie Vaughan 3, Amari Perry 2
Republic Scoring
Sammi Watson 6, Awbree Berning 5, Charlie Hagewood 4, Lanney Strong 4, Cora Cutbirth 2
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