Republic led for most of the first quarter Monday night at Kickapoo, but a 12-0 Lady Chiefs run bridging the first and second quarters proved to be the difference in a 44-37 loss that ended the Lady Tigers’ 10-game winning streak.
The No. 10 Lady Tigers (19-4) traded punches with No. 2 Kickapoo (22-0) early, and led for most of the first quarter. Addie Brown opened the scoring for Republic with a three-pointer to tie the game at 3, and Awbree Berning scored inside and converted a free throw to push Republic ahead 6-3. Berning made it 13-7 a few minutes later, but that was their biggest lead of the night.
A key moment came as time expired in the first quarter with Republic up by three. Josie Stalzer was called for a foul on a desperation backcourt heave by Anaya Perry as time expired, and Perry made two from the line to cut the Republic lead to 15-14 heading into the second.
That’s when things unraveled. The free throws started a 12-0 run that stretched deep into the second quarter. The burst turned a 15-12 Republic lead into a 24-15 Kickapoo advantage. Republic scored just four points in the second quarter, and Kickapoo led 26-19 at the half.
“We didn’t handle the pressure as well as I would have liked us to,” Republic coach Tori Mooneyham said. “They’re very physical, very athletic, and we just couldn’t get anything going on offense. We struggled to get open, and that’s a compliment to their defense.”
Kickapoo’s defense took away Republic’s three-point shooting — the Lady Tigers went 1-for-4 from beyond the arc — and shut things down when Republic tried to push the ball inside. Cutbirth went 5-for-14 from the field, and the Lady Tigers shot 39 percent as a team.
Paelyn Gilmore’s foul trouble compounded the offensive problems. She didn’t play in the first half, and Mooneyham said her absence disrupted the offense.
“It hurt us early,” Mooneyham said. “They were face-guarding her, which we’ve seen twice now, and it kind of disrupts our offense a little bit. We’re going to have to get a plan for that down the road if teams are going to start doing that to us.”
The third quarter was a wash, with each team scoring eight, but Kickapoo open ed the fourth quarter with another push, running its lead to 13 points at 42-29. The Lady Tigers finally made their push after a timeout.
“I kind of challenged them in the timeout — are we going to lay down, or are we going to show some heart?” Mooneyham said. “And I thought they responded.”
Cutbirth hit two free throws. Berning scored twice, and Cutbirth scored again. An 8-0 run cut the lead to 42-37 with under a minute to play. Republic got a stop but didn’t score on its possession, and Anaya Perry iced it with two free throws to seal the 44-37 final.
“These kids, they don’t give up. They have a lot of heart,” Mooneyham said. “We got it to two possessions there late and just couldn’t overcome that. … We’re just hoping that we get an opportunity to play them again in postseason and hope for a better outcome.”
Cutbirth led Republic with 14 points. Berning added 11. Anaya Perry led Kickapoo with 14.
Score by Quarters
Republic 15 4 8 10 — 37
Kickapoo 14 12 8 10 — 44
Republic Scoring
Cora Cutbirth 14, Awbree Berning 11, Josie Stalzer 6, Addie Brown 3, Kinley Kilburn 2, Charlie Hagewood 1
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