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Republic’s basketball season came to an end in the Class 6 District 5 semifinals Friday night as second-seeded Kickapoo pulled away for a 46-32 victory. The loss concluded a 23-5 campaign for the Tigers that included Republic Invitational and Blue & Gold Tournament championships.
Kickapoo stormed out to a quick 5-0 lead behind Elijah Nabors’ free throws and Jackson Shorter’s basket. Republic responded as Brody Blades connected from beyond the arc to get the Tigers on the board. Kickapoo maintained a small advantage throughout the first quarter, leading 12-11 after eight minutes of play.
The second quarter proved pivotal as Republic’s offense stalled, managing just four points. After Keiran Govan sank a free throw to tie the game at 12-12, the Tigers briefly took a 15-14 lead on Blades’ three-pointer. But Kickapoo answered with a 7-0 run to close the half, taking a 21-15 lead into the break as CJ Uhl sat on the bench with two fouls.
“We left some points on the board throughout the game,” said coach Tim Brown. “We could have closed out that first half and not been down six. We had the lead and we had to grind a little bit. CJ was in foul trouble.”
Kickapoo’s defensive focus on Brenley Hagewood paid dividends, as Republic’s leading scorer was held without a point in the first half.
The Tigers showed renewed energy after halftime. Hagewood finally broke through with a driving basket and followed it with a three-pointer to trim the deficit to 21-20. But Reese Kimrey, who like Hagewood had been scoreless in the first half, answered with a three-pointer of his own to push the Chiefs’ lead back to four.
The teams traded points through much of the third quarter with Kickapoo maintaining its advantage. The Chiefs outscored Republic 12-11 in the period to take a 33-26 lead into the final frame.
Blades hit a three-pointer early in the fourth quarter to trim the deficit to 33-29, but any hopes of a Tiger comeback were quickly extinguished. Kickapoo responded with a 13-3 run to close the game, with Shorter, Brock Thompson, and Brayden Rubidoux all contributing, as the Chiefs’ lead ballooned to as many as 14 points.
Jackson Shorter led all scorers with 15 points, including seven free throws.
For Republic, Blades and Davin Parks shared team-high honors with nine points apiece. Hagewood finished with eight points, all in the second half. His offensive contribution included two three-pointers that gave him the school’s single-season record with 85, breaking Drew McMillin’s previous mark of 84 set during the 2019-20 season.
Despite the disappointing finish, Brown said he was proud of his team’s accomplishments.
“Our kids played hard. And I can honestly say we squeezed everything out of our group this year,” he said. “We never talked about what we didn’t have. We always talked about what we did have. And we found a way more times than we didn’t. It was a special group.”
The game marked the final high school contest for seniors Hagewood, Ryder Davis, Parks, Kaden Howard, and CJ Uhl.
“Our seniors set the table for us. And it started this summer,” Brown said. “And they were great big brothers to our underclassmen. It probably started even last year, just with the way they all played… and how they handled adversity, and how they propelled that into the season that they had this year.”
Kickapoo advances to play top-seeded Nixa for the district championship on Monday.
Score by Quarters
Kickapoo 12-9-12-13-46
Republic 11-4-11-6-32
Kickapoo Scoring
Jackson Shorter 15, Reese Kimrey 9, Elijah Nabors 8, Brayden Rubidoux 7, Brock Thompson 7
Republic Scoring
Brody Blades 9, Davin Parks 9, Brenley Hagewood 8, Keiran Govan 4, CJ Uhl 2
