Carson Anderson’s three-pointer from the right wing with less than a second remaining lifted Webb City to a 49-48 win over Republic in the Central Ozark Conference West Division opener Friday night. The shot capped a back-and-forth fourth quarter that featured five lead changes and came minutes after Republic had clawed back from a 12-point deficit to take a three-point lead.
Republic trailed 24-12 late in the second quarter after a sluggish first half in which Webb City’s pressure dictated tempo. The Cardinals opened the game on an 8-0 run after the score was tied at 7 in the first quarter, stretching the lead to 15-7. Webb City’s Anderson hit a three and Trae Turner added another in the second quarter to push the margin to its widest point.
Coach Tim Brown said his team was too passive before halftime, but made adjustments at the break and became more aggressive.
“Too many times in the first half, we played side to side,” Brown said. “We finally started attacking the basket and just kind of chipped away.”
The chipping started immediately in the third quarter. Braxton Lundberg scored inside, Trenten Coleman hit a three, and then Brody Blades took over. Blades hit three consecutive threes during a 9-0 Republic run that cut a 27-17 deficit to 27-26.
Webb City answered with buckets from Turner and Jackson Adams to push the lead back to 33-29, but Blades and Slater Howard traded threes with the Cardinals down the stretch to keep Republic within reach.
Blades finished with 22 points, all but one on three-pointers. He was 7-for-13 from beyond the arc.
The fourth quarter turned into a free throw contest — one Republic lost. The Tigers were 5-for-12 from the line in the final period. Webb City went 6-for-8.
“You can’t do those things on the road, especially when the other team’s trying hard and wanting to make plays,” Brown said.
Republic took its first lead at 39-38 on a Howard free throw. Hudson Matthiesen answered with a pair of free throws to put Webb City back on top 40-39. Blades hit another three to make it 42-40, but Matthiesen banked in a three-pointer to take back the momentum for the Cardinals.
“They go down and bank one in on perfect defense,” Brown said.
Republic retook the lead late, and Blades made one of two free throws to push the score to 48-46. That set up Anderson’s three-pointer after a Webb City time-out.
“Our effort was there. We battled. We grinded,” Brown said. “We only have ourselves to blame for not closing it out when we had a chance. Give them credit for stepping up and making a big play.”
Score by quarters
| | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|—|—|—|—|—|—|
| Republic | 8 | 7 | 17 | 16 | **48** |
| Webb City | 16 | 8 | 9 | 16 | **49** |
Scoring Summary
Brody Blades 22, Slater Howard 9, Keiran Govan 7, AJ Uhl 5, Trenten Coleman 3, Braxton Lundberg 2.
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