Lady Tigers edge West Plains behind Strong’s 24 points

Lanney Strong led Republic with 24 points in a home win over West Plains. (Photo by Steve Rackley)
Lanney Strong scored 24 points and Republic withstood a late West Plains rally to win 55–50 Monday night.
Strong took control during a key stretch spanning the second and third quarters, scoring 19 points to help Republic overcome an early deficit. Cora Cutbirth contributed 11 points for Republic.
The outcome remained in doubt until Awbree Berning hit two free throws with 20.1 seconds left, giving Republic a 53–50 cushion. Paelyn Gilmore then deflected two passes to help run out the clock.
“When we needed to go to overtime against Ozark, I freaked out during my free throws,” Berning said. “So today, I took them one step at a time, just making sure I focused really hard and made sure I made those free throws for my team.”
Berning also played strong defense against West Plains’ Gullian Green, who finished with 12 points. Zoe Shrubb added ten for the Lady Zizzers.
Coach Tori Mooneyham praised her team’s ability to stay close early despite struggling with West Plains’ full-court press.
“You take that Nixa game and we played the next three quarters with them. Even though we were trailing (tonight)… it wasn’t a significant difference. For some reason with this team, it just takes them a little bit to get settled and adjust to the defense,” she said.
The win improved Republic’s record to 6–7. The Lady Tigers have won six of eight games since opening the season with five straight losses.
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