In a game where points were hard to come by, Ozark’s advantage at the free-throw line proved decisive, as Republic dropped a 49–44 defensive battle Tuesday night on the road. Both teams shot under 36 percent from the field, but Ozark’s 16-of-20 performance at the stripe helped the home team take a 1–1 split in the season series so far.
Neither offense found much rhythm early. Republic used a 7–0 run to take a 9–2 lead, with AJ Uhl and Brody Blades scoring the Tigers’ first seven points. Ozark answered with a 7–0 run of its own to tie the game at 9–9. The home Tigers took their first lead late in the quarter and held a 12–10 advantage after one.
The shooting struggles carried into the second quarter. Republic missed its first five three-point attempts before Uhl connected on the Tigers’ first long-range shot to give Republic a 17–15 lead. At halftime, Republic was 7-of-19 from the floor and Ozark was 6-of-20, and the teams were tied 19–19.
Ozark began to build a lead in the third quarter, outscoring Republic 11–6. Kylan Pickren, limited to six points in the first half, began to find openings. An alley-oop finish by Pickren put Ozark back in front at 22–21, and Ozark carried a 30–25 lead into the fourth.
Republic opened the final period with a bit of momentum when Trenten Coleman hit a three-pointer to cap a 5–0 run that tied the game at 30–30. But Ozark answered quickly. Hendrix Haymes and Pickren helped push Ozark’s lead back to 36–30.
Republic continued to hang close despite shooting 16-of-45 from the field and 4-of-15 from three-point range. A three-pointer by Jin Villasica made it 43–38 with 2:15 remaining, and a deep three by Blades cut the margin to 46–43 with 19 seconds left.
The difference came at the free-throw line. Ozark went 16-of-20 at the stripe, while Republic finished 8-of-15, allowing Ozark to close out the game in the final seconds.
Uhl led Republic with 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from inside the arc. Blades added 13 points, and Govan finished with 11. Pickren led all scorers with 19 points, including a 9-of-11 performance from the free-throw line.
Republic (7–4) returns home Friday to host Nixa.
Individual scoring
AJ Uhl 14, Brody Blades 13, Keiran Govan 11, Trenten Coleman 3, Jin Villasica 3.
Score by quarters
Republic 10 9 6 19 — 44
Ozark 12 7 11 19 — 49
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