Republic’s season slips away at Joplin; team ends with 15-11 record

After losing at Joplin during the regular season, Republic got a second crack at the Eagles on their home floor to open the district tournament. But Joplin did a lot of the same things to Republic the second time around, beating the Tigers 63-53 and ending Republic’s season in the district quarterfinals.
The Eagles dominated the inside game and frustrated the Tigers, even when they got the ball down low. Republic missed several close-range shots because of defensive pressure by Joplin, but stayed close throughout the game thanks to its own defensive strength. The key stretch was in the third quarter, when Republic missed a couple of good scoring opportunities and Joplin responded with points at the other end.
“They went through a stretch where they scored it really easily, and we went through a stretch where we struggled to score,” said coach Tim Brown. “When we have to play down nine or 10 (points), it makes things a little difficult for us. We had to speed up a little bit. [Joplin] wanted to get up and down... and we needed it to be a grinder. But our kids didn’t back down and they kept fighting.”
Joplin eventually led by as many as 12 points, 42-30, but Republic made another charge. The Tigers closed the gap to five points when Avery Moody made a jumper with 2:01 remaining, but they would never get any closer.
Joplin advances to the district semifinals to meet top-seeded Nixa, Wednesday. The Eagles are 19-7.
Republic finishes its season 15-11. Of their 11 losses, seven were by four points or less. The loss marked the last game for seniors Will Fronabarger, Devon McMillin and Avery Moody. Brown said he’s been impressed all season by how his team handled the uncertainty caused by injuries to Fronabarger and Moody.
“A lot of guys did different things throughout the year. We had to have all hands on deck, and that’s hard sometimes, because you never know what you’re role’s going to be. Credit to them for being mature enough to handle that and being happy for their teammates. Those are all life skills, and I’m just really proud of our group overall.”