Republic used a big fourth quarter to knock off state-ranked Troy Buchanan 62–56 on Friday at the Nixa Invitational Tournament. The Lady Tigers outscored Troy 27–16 in the final period, turning a close game into a statement win after trailing by as many as eight in the first half.
20260124_Troy Trojans_vs_Republic Lady Tigers_BoxScore
Troy controlled much of the first half, building a 17–9 lead after one quarter and taking a 23–19 advantage into halftime. Republic struggled to find a rhythm early, missing its first seven three-point attempts, but stayed within reach by getting to the free-throw line and defending without fouling. The game was close most of the way, featuring nine ties and six lead changes.
Republic coach Tori Mooneyham said energy was the difference once the game turned after halftime.
“We revisited the energy thing that we had really focused on that carried us last night,” Mooneyham said of the halftime conversation. “They had a temporary block there and forgot that that was what we were doing. So we just reminded them about that—that that’s why the shots weren’t falling, there wasn’t much energy on the floor, there wasn’t much energy from the bench, and just couldn’t really get anything going.”
Momentum shifted early in the third quarter. Josie Stalzer opened the half with a corner three to cut the deficit to one, and Republic’s pressure began to bother Troy’s guards. The Lady Tigers chipped away possession by possession and pulled even multiple times before the quarter ended tied at 35.
“As soon as they picked that up and started talking and they just started playing harder, shots started to fall,” Mooneyham said. “We started utilizing Cora a little bit, got her on some ball screens and some rolls, and she really just came alive. Several kids just started playing hard. That’s what we preach all the time: if you play hard, things will work out.”
The key stretch came midway through the fourth quarter. Paelyn Gilmore scored nine straight points, including a pair of three-pointers that first tied the score at 45, then gave the Lady Tigers the lead for good. That sparked an 11–0 run that pushed Republic in front 50–45 and forced Troy to play from behind the rest of the way.
Cora Cutbirth led Republic with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting and 5-of-5 at the free-throw line. She dominated down low in the second half, scoring 17 points after the break.
Gilmore finished with 19 points, hitting all nine of her free throws and knocking down the two decisive threes in the fourth quarter. Stalzer added 10 points and went 5-for-6 at the line.
Republic closed it out at the stripe, scoring 12 of its final 14 points at the free-throw line to finish off the win. Republic shot 21-of-24 from the free-throw line for the game.
“We shoot free throws every day,” Mooneyham said. “I’ve got a couple kids that are shooting a very high percentage right now, so in game situations like that, we try to make sure the ball is in their hands the best we can, because I feel very confident that I’ve got a few that can knock them down.”
Troy was led by Mya Robinson’s 25 points and Grace Means’ 16, but the Trojans finished just 7-of-11 at the line and 3-of-18 from three-point range.
Mooneyham said defensive adjustments in the second half helped slow Troy after Robinson’s strong start.
“Our help defense was good last night, and we just didn’t do that in the first half,” Mooneyham said. “We went zone because we’d had some success with it, but tonight they hit shots on us, so we went back to man. It was really the help defense and moving our feet quicker, being better on switches, and just working hard.”
Republic pushes its record to 12-3. Troy falls to 13-4.
Score by Quarters
Troy 17 6 17 16 — 56
Republic 9 10 16 27 — 62
Individual Scoring
Cora Cutbirth 21, Paelyn Gilmore 19, Josie Stalzer 10, Awbree Berning 4, Charlie Hagewood 4, Addie Brown 2, Kinley Kilburn 2.
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