Republic rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit to defeat Glendale 47-43 in overtime in the quarterfinals of the Pink and White Lady Classic Saturday. Charlie Hagewood hit a jumper in the final seconds of regulation to force the extra period, and Paelyn Gilmore scored seven of her eight points in overtime to seal the win.
“We finally decided to be us,” coach Tori Mooneyham said. “Hard work always pays off… We got some stops, got some steals, some transition points, and just kind of got the momentum going our way. That was huge. I would credit our defense in that fourth quarter and in overtime.”
Republic led early, taking a 15-8 advantage early in the second quarter, but the Lady Falcons responded with an 11-0 run to seize control. Glendale led 19-16 at halftime and stretched the lead to 31-20 in the third quarter, using a tough zone defense to shut down Republic.
But the Lady Tigers’ defense matched Glendale’s intensity and clamped down even further in the fourth, holding Glendale to just two field goals in the period. Republic used a 7-0 run to pull within striking distance. The run included a basket in heavy traffic by Kilburn, then a blocked shot by Kilburn at the other end that set up a game-tying free throw by Gilmore, making the score 36-36.
Mooneyham said Republic’s defensive approach evolved as the game wore on.
“I really thought early that we could pressure them, and I thought we did a good job,” she said. “However, the officials didn’t agree with that, so we had to make some adjustments. We tried a little zone just to switch it up, but we were in foul trouble and that didn’t work. They hit some threes. So we went to kind of a sagging man, just kept them in front, gave them a step, but still played hard away from the ball. That seemed to work and paid off in the end.”
With less than a minute remaining, Glendale’s Eva Spurlin drew a foul and sank two free throws to give the Lady Falcons a 38-36 lead. On the ensuing possession, Hagewood hit a baseline jumper in traffic, tying the game at 38-38 and sending it to overtime.
In the extra period, Hagewood scored the opening basket to give Republic the lead. The teams traded free throws, and after Spurlin hit a three-pointer to put Glendale ahead 43-42, Gilmore answered on the next possession. She drained a three-pointer from the left wing to put Republic back on top 45-43. Gilmore added two free throws in the final seconds to secure the victory.
“Paelyn’s a gamer,” Mooneyham said. “Even if she doesn’t play well throughout the game, she’s got to be on the floor at the end. She’s going to make the big play. She’s going to get the steal or hit the shot. She’s pretty solid from the free-throw line, and she came up big there.”
Kilburn led Republic in scoring for the second straight game with 10 points. Gilmore and Awbree Berning each finished with eight points. Hagewood and Josie Stalzer added seven apiece.
Kensie Miner led Glendale with 12 points.
Republic advances to the semifinals against top-seeded Strafford on Monday at 2 p.m.
Score by quarters
Republic 9 7 6 16 9 — 47
Glendale 5 14 12 7 5 — 43
Individual scoring
Kinley Kilburn 10, Paelyn Gilmore 8, Awbree Berning 8, Charlie Hagewood 7, Josie Stalzer 7, Libby Steele 4, Addie Brown 3
Get every story delivered.
Tiger Wire — Republic sports news, free every morning.