Republic failed to score a field goal in the second quarter, and the scoring drought ended up making the difference in a 42-39 loss to Jackson at the Maries County Bank Shootout in St. James Saturday.
The Lady Tigers led 12-10 at the end of the first quarter, but their only points in the second quarter were a pair of Brylee Manes free throws. But their defense kept them in the game, as Jackson scored just four points in the period, and it was tied 14-14 at halftime.
Coach Kris Flood says Republic’s struggles were a combination of Jackson’s defense and the Lady Tigers’ struggling offense.
“A little bit of both. We we made some adjustments there in the second half—went a little bit more spread and got some movement. We didn’t do that in the first half. But then, we’ve got to do some stuff to knock down some shots.
“We had a lot of perimeter shooting . Our first five or six shots were three pointers, and we weren’t getting any touches inside. That’s hard to do against a big zone. You’ve got to at least get some touches in there to at least make it respectable, otherwise, with their height and their size, they’re just going to spread it out and take away our perimeter.”
Republic’s scoring drought continued into the third quarter, and they fell behind by as many as eight points. But with 5:27 remaining in the game and Jackson leading 31-25, Republic reeled off seven straight points. Morgan McGuire hit a three-pointer and was fouled, then added a free throw. Megan Branstetter hit another trey to give the Lady Tigers a 32-31 lead, but Jackson regained the lead on its next possession and held on down the stretch.
Republic had an opportunity to win the game in the final minute, but a shot by Brylee Manes was off the mark, and Jackson hit two free throws to account for the three-point final margin.
Avy Powell-Qualo led Republic with nine points. Halli Bartelsmeyer added eight. Manes scored seven, Branstetter scored five, McGuire had four, Walcher added three, Anna Bell had two, and Jade Kirby scored one.
Kalli Mayfield and Alexis Allstun each scored ten points to lead all scorers for Jackson.
Republic falls to 1-2. Both their losses were by only three points. They’ll be back in action at the Kickapoo Classic on December 7.
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Farr Better Player of the Game
Senior Morgan McGuire had only four points, but her interior defense kept the Lady Tigers in the game when they couldn’t buy a bucket — and her four-point play in the 4th quarter started a 7-0 run that gave Republic a brief lead. Her performance made her the Farr Better Plumbing Player of the Game.
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