The Republic Lady Tigers (3-1) led almost the entire first half in a battle of state-ranked teams with the Helias Lady Crusaders (7-0) but were unable to extend that lead in the second half. The Lady Crusaders made a half-court buzzer-beating shot at the half to tie the game at 27-27 and carried the momentum from that shot into the second half, edging the Lady Tigers 55-50.
Republic came out hot and held an early lead over the Lady Crusaders, leading after the first quarter 18-16. Kaemyn Bekemeier scored nine points in the quarter. But the Helias defense tightened down, holding Republic to only nine points in the second quarter. The Lady Tigers would have gone into the half with a three-point lead, but Lady Crusader Ava Morris heaved up a half-court shot with less than a second left in the half, and it bounced off the glass and into the basket to make the score 27-27 going into halftime.
The teams traded baskets in the third quarter and were tied again after three, 41-41. Kaemyn Bekemeier had 10 in the quarter and ended with 26 on the night. In the fourth quarter, however, turnovers and several empty possessions by the Lady Tigers helped Helias take the lead and put Republic away. Late free throws by Claire Galbraith put the game out of reach, as she extended the lead to five and eventually made the score 55-50.
Up next, the Republic Lady Tigers will head to El Dorado Springs (3-1) on Monday, December 12, for yet another battle of state-ranked teams. The Lady Bulldogs are ranked #1 in Class 3.
Scoring By Quarter
Helias 16 11 14 14 – 55
Republic 18 9 14 9 – 50
Individual Scoring
Kaemyn Bekemeier 26, Misora Nambara 10, Lauren Chastain 5, Hope Schatz 5, Molly Mason 2, Alaina Norman 2