Republic erased an 11-point halftime deficit with a 25-point third-quarter explosion, surging past Springfield Catholic 68–57 in the opening round of the Blue & Gold Tournament late Friday night at Hammons Student Center. Brody Blades and Keiran Govan combined for 42 points to help the third-seeded Tigers overcome a slow start in the final game of the night.
Springfield Catholic controlled the first half on the strength of strong outside shooting, leading 23–18 after the first quarter and extending the margin to 36–25 by halftime. Case Cunningham led the Irish with 23 points, helping Catholic maintain the lead through the first 20 minutes of play.
The momentum shifted in the third quarter as Republic outscored Catholic 25–12. The Tigers trailed until the 2:44 mark of the third period, when a free throw by Blades gave Republic its first lead of the game.
After Springfield Catholic tied the game at 50–50 early in the fourth quarter, Republic responded with a 13–0 run to take control. Blades fueled the late surge, finishing with a team-high 22 points, including four 3-pointers. Govan added 20 points, and AJ Uhl contributed 12 points in the win.
Republic advances to face sixth-seeded Mountain Grove in the quarterfinals. Mountain Grove reached the second round with a victory over Miller. The matchup is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Saturday at JQH Arena.
Score by quarters
Republic 18 7 25 18 — 68
Springfield Catholic 23 13 12 9 — 57
Individual scoring
B Blades 22, K Govan 20, A Uhl 12, T Coleman 9, J Villasica 3, B Lundberg 2
Get every story delivered.
Tiger Wire — Republic sports news, free every morning.