Lady Tigers build mid-season momentum; take 3 of 4 at Pink and White

Republic’s girls basketball team continued its mid-season surge with two victories, including a comeback win in the Pink & White Lady Classic and a convincing home win over Waynesville. The Lady Tigers have now won four of their last five games after starting the season 0–5.
In Tuesday’s Pink & White fifth-place game, Republic rallied from 11 points down at halftime to edge Norwood 39–37. Lanney Strong’s free throws with 6.3 seconds remaining provided the winning margin.
The Lady Tigers trailed 26–15 at halftime before storming back with 10 straight points to open the third quarter. Addie Brown sparked the comeback with two three-pointers after entering the starting lineup to begin the second half. Charlie Hagewood’s three-pointer gave Republic its first lead at 30–28 with 3:15 left in the third quarter.
“I was a little tough on them at halftime,” coach Tori Mooneyham said. “I felt like [in the] first half we kind of took a couple steps back again and looked like what we had a few weeks ago. But the important thing is they responded and came back and were more focused and played hard and got the job done.”
Friday night, Republic dominated Waynesville, 60–34, behind a double-double from Cora Cutbirth, who finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Kaylee Cornelsen and Sammi Watson each added 11 points.
After an early 5–5 tie, Republic reeled off 16 consecutive points to take control. The Lady Tigers led 31–10 at halftime and were never threatened.
Cornelsen, who had recently moved out of the starting lineup, knocked down all three of her attempts from beyond the arc.
“I was extremely proud of Kaylee,” Mooneyham said. “We made a change in our lineup, and that can be hard on a kid. That just shows what kind of person she is and what kind of player she is. She stayed focused and was a team player, and it didn’t matter if she started or came off the bench, you’re still going to get the best out of her.”
Republic improved its record to 4–6.