Republic’s comeback kids did it again, and this one was for a state championship. The Lady Tigers scored the last five points of the game to beat Smithville 53-51 Saturday, capturing the Class 4 title at Mizzou Arena in Columbia.
Early on, it looked like Republic wouldn’t need to come from behind, as it had in the quarterfinals and semifinals. The Lady Tigers jumped on top 28-19 at halftime.
But Smithville turned the tables on Republic in the second half, slowly clawing their way back into contention. Kristen Stewart scored on a layup with about five minutes remaining, tying the game for the first time since the early-going, and igniting the Smithville crowd.
From there, Smithville built a 48-44 lead with 3:06 left, and had the ball with a chance to extend the lead to six. But Alice Heinzler, whose defense had helped key the Lady Tigers’ quarterfinal comeback over Helias, knocked the ball away from Kyli Nelson as the Warriors set up their offense. In the ensuing scramble for the ball, Sarah Kreul was fouled. She knocked down two free throws to cut the lead to two.
After Paige Imhoff made one of two free throws, Heinzler drove into the lane and made a spinning, contested jumper to cut the lead to one, 49-48. Imhoff hit two more free throws to give the Warriors a 51-48 lead with :58 left, but Smithville wouldn’t score again.
At the other end, Alice Heinzler missed a jumper, but Brooke Dutton grabbed the rebound and fed Sarah Kreul underneath the basket to make it 51-50 with :38 remaining.
Republic got another stop, and Alice Heinzler was fouled. She made two free throws to give Republic the lead again, 52-51. After two more missed shots by Smithville, Alexis Edwards blocked the ball out of bounds with :10 remaining, giving Smithville a chance to win it on their final possession.
But Heinzler made another outstanding defensive play, stealing the ball from Kelsey Motherwood. Heinzler made one more free throw with :04 remaining, and Smithville couldn’t get off a final shot before time expired.
Heinzler was Republic’s leading scorer with 16 points. Sarah Kreul had 12. Alexis Edwards scored 9 points, Alex Botkin had 8, Brooke Dutton had 6, and Kayla Bartelsmeyer scored 2.
For Republic, it’s the first state championship since 2004. It’s their 2nd state title under coach Kris Flood.
The Lady Tigers will return to Republic Sunday. They’re due to arrive at the high school at 1:30 p.m.