Republic avoided a post-Blue & Gold letdown Friday when they traveled to Bolivar and nabbed a 45-31 win. The Tigers struggled offensively, just as they did in their tournament championship win over Parkview, but used a big 3rd quarter to put the game away.
Coach Trevyor Fisher says he’s glad to come away with a win in what had the makings of a “trap” game after the Tigers’ Blue & Gold title.
“We challenged our guys yesterday in practice. We didn’t come out with great intensity in practice, and therefore it carried into today’s game,” says Fisher. “Fortunately enough, we were able to steady ourselves in the second half.
“We’ve talked about it all year. As long as we play defense we’re going to have chances to win even when the shots aren’t going in.”
Bolivar nabbed a 7-0 lead through the first five minutes. The Tigers got their first bucket with about three minutes left in the quarter, then reeled off seven more in a row to take a 9-7 lead. The teams were tied 9-9 after one.
Offense was even scarcer in the 2nd quarter, and the teams went into halftime tied at 15-15.
But Republic finally got untracked in the 3rd. The Tigers outscored Bolivar 20-10 in the period, paced by Cody Geiger’s 12. Geiger finished with 20 for the game to lead Republic.
Fisher says the offensive outburst was a based on a combination of factors.
“We tried to establish a post presence down low. Kind of got them in a little bit of foul trouble,” says Fisher. “Then we beat their big guys down the floor in transition a couple of times, and got some points on steals.”
Jake Fletcher added eight points for Republic, and Grant Hancock scored six.
The Tigers pushed the lead into double digits in the 4th quarter and held off one last Bolivar rally to pick up the victory. Republic improves to 11-1.
The JV Tigers beat Bolivar 56-26.