Before making its debut in the Central Ozark Conference at Republic Monday night, Carl Junction (#1, Class 4) won its first eight games by an average margin of nearly 28 points.
Welcome to the COC.
Republic shut down the Bulldogs with stifling defense, hit several key shots down the stretch, and handed Carl Junction its first loss of the year, 43-31. Taylor Fergen scored 11 of her game-high 15 points in the 4th quarter as the Lady Tigers broke a two-game losing skid.
The Lady Tigers’ defense asserted itself from the start, allowing just four points in the 1st quarter as Republic jumped to a 9-4 lead. Republic outscored Carl Junction 13-9 in the 2nd quarter to stretch the lead to 22-13 at half.
“Defensively, I thought it was a team effort,” says coach Kris Flood. “We were going to try to help on the Scott girls inside as much as we could…to double-team them. I thought we did a heck of a job defensively. To hold that team to 31 points, I thought was very impressive.”
Carl Junction bolted from the gate in the 2nd half, scoring the first seven points to cut the lead to two points before Brylee Manes drained a 3-pointer from the right wing to stop the bleeding. When the Bulldogs cut the lead to two points again later in the 3rd quarter, Allyson Barrett answered with a step-back three-pointer of her own, giving Republic a 30-25 lead as the 4th quarter began.
“We were just trying to come back from the run they had,” Barrett says of the team’s attitude after Carl Junction closed the gap.
In the 4th, Fergen splashed home a trey and Manes converted a steal into a fast-break layup, stretching the lead to 10 points, 35-25. Carl Junction cut the margin down to seven points, but that’s when Fergen took over. She scored six straight points on two pull-up jumpers and a layup to put the game away.
In addition to Fergen’s 15 points, Brylee Manes scored 12 points. Megan Branstetter scored seven, Allyson Barrett had five, and Madi Beckham scored four.
Republic improves to 8-6 overall, 1-0 in the COC. They play again Thursday at home against Carthage.
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Player of the Game
With the game on the line, Taylor Fergen stepped up. Fergen scored six straight points down the stretch in the 4th quarter, finishing with 15 points to help Republic knock off unbeaten Carl Junction 43-31.
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