From 0-5 to .500, Republic’s basketball resurrection continued Saturday with a 56-41 rout of Francis Howell Central in the Nixa Invitational Tournament.
The Lady Tigers’ eighth win in 11 games showcased how far they’ve come. A team that scored 41 or fewer points in six different games early this season poured in that many in just the middle two quarters against Francis Howell Central (9-4).
Lanney Strong scored 15 points and Cora Cutbirth added 13 for Republic (8-8), which turned a close game into a blowout with a 19-0 run after halftime. The Lady Tigers held Francis Howell Central to one field goal during an 11-minute stretch spanning the second through fourth quarters.
Strong scored nine second-quarter points to help Republic overcome an early eight-point deficit. After Francis Howell Central tied the game at 30 to open the third quarter, Republic’s defense clamped down. Cutbirth and fellow sophomore Paelyn Gilmore combined for 12 third-quarter points during the decisive run, which gave Republic a 49-30 lead.
“They’re just figuring it out,” Republic coach Tori Mooneyham said. “We came in with very little experience, little to none really. The games that we’ve played, the level of competition that we’ve played, along with the number of close games that we’ve had, it’s provided these girls with a lot of experience in a short amount of time.”
Republic won two games in the three-day tournament, finishing fifth. The only blemish was a two-point loss to Class 6 No. 10 Troy on Thursday night.
“Moving forward, it’s almost like a new chapter now. We get to get into conference play,” Mooneyham said of reaching the .500 mark. “I think, considering what we’ve been through, I think that we’re OK with that.”
Score by Quarters
Francis Howell Central 16-12-2-11–41
Republic 8-22-19-7–56
Francis Howell Central Scoring
Addie Henderson 15, Riley Henderson 9, Jayla Robinson 6, Mikaela Bond 6, Reese McDevitt 4, Hannah Halterman 1
Republic Scoring
Lanney Strong 15, Cora Cutbirth 13, Paelyn Gilmore 9, Charlie Hagewood 6, Sammi Watson 6, Addie Brown 3, Josie Stelzer 2, Awbree Berning 2
