Jake Fletcher poked the ball away to disrupt Carthage’s final possession, and a final jumper in the lane by Carthage’s Kyle Reed bounded away as time expired, giving Republic a 69-68 win in a matchup of two of southwest Missouri’s best teams. (See video.) The final defensive stop thwarted a comeback by Carthage, who had trailed 65-58 with just over three minutes left.
Nick Yocum led the way for Republic with 20 points, including four 3-pointers. He had 15 in the first half. Canyon Smith added 10. Marcus Miller and Jake Fletcher scored 8 apiece. Grant Hancock had 7. Payton Looney and Dylan Bekemeier had 6 apiece, and Cody Geiger scored 4 for the Tigers.
Desmond Buerge scored 27 points for Carthage to lead all scorers.
Republic gave up the first seven points of the game, but ripped off eight in a row to take the lead. They trailed again at 9-8, but never lost the lead the rest of the way. It was 18-13 after one quarter, and 38-32 at halftime. The Tigers built an 11-point lead midway through the 3rd quarter before Carthage closed the gap down the stretch. The margin was down to 55-50 by the end of the third quarter.
Carthage gradually closed the gap to one point with about 12 seconds left, and had a final crack at the win. Payton Looney committed a foul, forcing Carthage to take the ball out of bounds with 4 seconds left, setting up the final defensive stop.
Both teams are now 18-4.
The JV team beat Carthage 67-46.
Before the varsity game, Taylor Wells was crowned 2012 Courtwarming Queen.
The Republic Tigers got big games from their three post players against an outsized Central Bulldogs team, in a 76-35 win at home Monday. Eleven players scored in all for Republic, who ran their record to 17-4. Grant Hancock led the Tigers with 14 points. Fellow inside players Cody Geiger and Marcus Miller scored 9 points apiece. 
The Republic freshman boys overcame a late charge by Carthage to win their opening game in the COC Tournament at Branson, 37-31.
For the second night in a row, Republic overcame a halftime deficit to win. But this time, it was for a tournament title. The Tigers used stingy defense to shut down host Rogersville 51-42, winning the Rogersville Tournament championship. It’s the second tournament win of the season for the Tigers, who also captured the Blue and Gold Tournament earlier this season.
After scoring only 14 points in the first half, Republic solved the Marshfield defense and applied a little defense of its own in a 46-32 win. The Tigers outscored Marshfield 32-12 in the second half to beat the Blue Jays for a third time this season.
Republic overcame a sluggish start on the road and ran away from Reeds Spring in the second half, 61-33. Ten different players scored in the victory for the Tigers.
Five 3-pointers in the first quarter, coupled with full-court pressure defense, helped Republic pull away early and pound Waynesville 80-48.
The case of the missing offense is officially solved. Republic went on the road in front of a packed house in Marshfield and ran away from the Blue Jays 72-56. 
