Lady Tigers surge late to top Kickapoo in sectional rematch

Republic overcame 11 lead changes in the second half to beat Kickapoo 55-51 in a rematch of last year’s state sectional game. A 9-0 run by the Lady Tigers in the fourth quarter helped them overcome a Kickapoo lead and jump ahead for good.
Freshman Kaemyn Bekemeier scored 16 points to lead Republic, Jazzy Kirby had 12, and Jade Kirby made a huge backcourt steal and layup to help seal the win for the Lady Tigers.
In the first half, Republic’s full-court pressure defense caused fits for Kickapoo, forcing them into several turnovers and mak- ing it difficult for the Lady Chiefs to take advantage of their size in their halfcourt offense. Republic led 12-9 at the end of one quarter and 25-23 at halftime.
“We talked about it yesterday in practice – getting a little more pressure, espe- cially from our top two on the box [press],” said coach Kris Flood. “I thought we came out at the beginning and executed and got a few turnovers. In the second half, we just kind of spotted [the press] here and there and really got some critical turnovers out of it.”
After the lead changed hands eight times in the third quarter, Kickapoo grabbed a three-point lead at 44-41 early in the fourth. But that’s when Republic surged to retake the lead for good. The Lady Tigers held Kickapoo scoreless for more than four minutes, scoring nine points during that span. The run started with a three-pointer by Clara Fronabarger to tie it. A steal and layup by Fronabarger on the next possession gave Republic the lead. The Lady Tigers hit two free throws, and Jade Kirby capped the 9-0 run with a steal and a layup, giving Republic a 50-44 lead.
“I’m just really happy with the way we played,” said Flood. “We didn’t have one of those lulls where we tried to do too much. You saw it a couple of times, but we regrouped and gathered ourselves and fought through it. We had some good possessions there at the end. We really had some kids step up in key spots.” Republic improves to 6-4 with the win. Kickapoo falls to 7-5.
Republic scoring: Kaemyn Bekemeier 16, Jazzy Kirby 12, Savana Powell-Goodman 10, Jade Kirby 9, Clara Fronabarger 6, Shealyn Barrett 2.