Through the first two minutes of Thursday’s district championship game, Nixa and Republic were tied 7-7. That didn’t last long.
The Lady Tigers went on a 31-4 run for the remainder of the first half, allowing just two points in the second quarter, on the way to a 59-34 win and a third straight district championship. Republic has won a district title in its first two seasons since moving up to Class 5.
Brooke Stanfield scored 20 points to lead Republic, and Brylee Argo added 14, as the Lady Tigers had success taking the ball into the lane and scoring against Nixa. Republic also capitalized on a huge rebounding advantage to build their lead in the first half.
“They did a lot of things well…offensively,” says Kris Flood. “We were getting good looks and really crashed the boards hard. We were getting second- and third-chance opportunities on a lot of possessions.
“It was a tremendous effort on the defensive end. They executed everything. one of the best guarding nights we’ve had.”
Alexis Ladwig had ten points for Republic. Jordan Kabetske added nine. Taylor Fergen had five, and Logan Flood scored one.
The Lady Tigers made three more three-pointers — running their season total to 180. That’s a new team record, breaking the mark of 175 set last year.
Even though the Lady Tigers have their eyes on a bigger prize — potentially a trip to the Final Four — Kris Flood says winning a district remains an important milestone for the team.
“It’s a big night. It’s a big step,” he says. “It puts you in that bracket where you can say you’re one of 16 teams that have a chance at that prize. It’s always big to get out of the district and giving yourself an opportunity.”
Republic advances to the state sectionals, where they will play Kickapoo or Branson. Republic beat both teams earlier this season, but both games were close. The girls sectional will tip off at 6 pm Wednesday at the O’Reilly Family Event Center at Drury University in Springfield.