Kirby leads Republic girls basketball in opening win at home over STL Gateway

Jazzy Kirby scored 13 points in her first varsity start and freshman Kaemyn Bekemeier came off the bench to add 12 points in a 57-46 win over St. Louis Gateway to open the season. Republic used its quickness advantage against a much taller lineup to build an early lead, then held off the Jaguars in the second half to win at home.
Gateway started two players over six feet tall, but in the first half, Republic’s smaller lineup mostly held the Jaguars to one shot per possession. That helped the Lady Tigers jump ahead 26-12 by the middle of the second quarter.
But in the second half, Gateway used its height to greater advantage, getting some offensive rebounds after missed shots and closing the gap on Republic. Marshaun Bostic and Kinnuady Daniels, two Gateway
guards, also heated up after halftime, combining for 22 points in the final two quarters.
The Jaguars got within seven points late in the third quarter, but two Republic guards responded with five straight points – two by Jade Kirby and a three-pointer by Kaitlyn Ragsdale – to extend the lead back to 12 points going into the final period. Gateway never got within nine points the rest of the game. Jazzy Kirby scored the last six points of the game for Republic to help the Lady Tigers finish strong.
Coach Kris Flood said he knew controlling the boards would be an important fac- tor for Republic. “We had watched them on film. I knew they had some size and I thought that could give us a little bit of trouble... but for the most part, [I’m] pleased.”
Despite leading the team in scoring, Jazzy Kirby said
her focus for much of the game was on defense.
“I caught on quick that my threes weren’t going in, so I was trying to make up for it on defense,” she said. “I think that helped me to focus on one area and not focus on me missing all my threes.”
Bekemeier, who came off the bench to score in double figures, admitted she sufferedfrom“first-gamejitters,” but added “the team was so welcoming, so it made it really, really easy to fit in.”
Republic is 1-0 head- ing into a game this week against HarBer HighSchool in Springdale, Ark. Gateway falls to 0-2.
Scoring
Jazzy Kirby 13, Kaemyn Bekemeier 12, Jade Kirby 8, Kaitlyn Ragsdale 8, Savana Powell-Goodman 7, Delaney Smith 5, Shealyn Barrett 4