The Republic Lady Tigers exploded for 18 straight points in the 3rd quarter to storm into the state championship game with a 56-49 win over Miller Career Academy.
After a tentative first half that included 11 Lady Tiger turnovers, Republic trailed 29-21 at halftime. The Phoenix scored first in the 3rd quarter to extend the lead to ten points. That’s when Republic turned on the heat.
A key steal and layup by Alice Heinzler sparked Republic and prompted an 18-0 run. The Lady Tigers went from 10 points down to 8 points up in the span of five minutes.
Republic hit 13 of 20 shots in the second half, for 65 percent, including 3-of-5 from beyond the 3-point arc. They hit 54-percent from the floor for the game.
Heinzler led the Lady Tigers with 19 points, and Alex Botkin added 16. In the first half, it was Botkin’s slashing drives to the bucket that kept the Lady Tigers close when it looked like the game would get away from them.
Alexis Edwards scored 10, Sarah Kreul had 7, and Brooke Dutton scored 4.
Miller Career Academy was led by Amanda Scott with 14 points. Zhanesha Dickerson scored 12 and Braennan Farrar had 10.
Republic moves into the state championship game at 6:40 Saturday at Mizzou Arena. They will play Smithville or Westminster Christian Academy.
I’ll have live audio coverage and live text updates, in cooperation with The Republic Monitor, starting around 6:15.