Republic boy basketballers secure Blue & Gold semifinal berth

Lady Tigers defeat Glendale Lady Falcons to reach Pink & White Tournament final four action over break
 
Republic secured its spot in the Blue & Gold Tournament semifinals with back-to-back victories against Springfield Catholic and Mountain Grove, overcoming second-half challenges in both rounds to reach the bracket’s final four.
The Tigers held off Mountain Grove 60-54 in the quarterfinals Saturday at Great Southern Bank Arena. After seeing an 11-point first-half lead disappear, Republic responded to three separate ties in the fourth quarter with immediate scores.
AJ Uhl broke two ties in the final period—first with a jumper in the lane to make it 47-45, then with a three-pointer to make it 50-47. After Mountain Grove knotted the score a final time at 52-52, Brody Blades hit another three-pointer from the left wing, and Republic never trailed again. A defensive stop and a transition layup by Keiran Govan in the final minute sealed the win.
“AJ Uhl made some big, big, big plays for us. Brody made a shot. We made just enough stops,” said coach Tim Brown. “In this tournament, weird things can happen, and we’re glad that we were able to find a way to survive and advance.”
Blades led the team with 21 points, including four 3-pointers. Trenten Coleman added a career-high 17 points, helping Republic build its early advantage.
The quarterfinal win followed a comeback performance in the opening round Friday, where Republic erased an 11-point halftime deficit to defeat Springfield Catholic 68-57.
The Tigers trailed 36-25 at the break but outscored Catholic 25-12 in the third quarter to take the lead. After Catholic tied the game at 50-50 in the fourth, Republic used a 13-0 run to take control.
Blades scored 22 points and Govan added 20 to lead the offense. Uhl finished with 12 points.
The victories improved Republic’s record to 6-1 and set up a semifinal matchup against Willard.

Girls basketball
Republic girls advanced to the semifinals of the Pink & White Lady Classic with two victories to open the tournament, including an overtime win in the quarterfinals.
The Lady Tigers defeated Glendale 47-43 Saturday to reach the final four of their bracket. Republic overcame an 11-point second-half deficit and used a 3-pointer by Paelyn Gilmore in overtime to take the lead for good.
Glendale led 43-42 in the extra period before Gilmore hit from the wing. She scored seven of her eight points in overtime and added two free throws in the final seconds to seal the win.
“Paelyn’s a gamer,” said coach Tori Mooneyham. “Even if she doesn’t play well throughout the game, she’s got to be on the floor at the end. She’s going to make the big play.”
Republic trailed 31-20 in the third quarter before rallying. The Lady Tigers held Glendale to two field goals in the fourth quarter, and Charlie Hagewood tied the game 38-38 with a baseline jumper with ten seconds left in regulation.
“We finally decided to be us,” Mooneyham said. “Hard work always pays off... We got some stops, got some steals, some transition points, and just kind of got the momentum going our way.”
Kinley Kilburn led Republic with 10 points. Awbree Berning and Gilmore each scored eight.
In the opening round Friday, Republic defeated Springfield Catholic 56-19. The Lady Tigers overcame a slow start and injuries to three starters during the game to pull away.
Republic held Catholic to seven points in the first half and used a 24-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarters to secure the win. Kilburn scored a career-high 19 points, and Libby Steele added 12.
The wins set up a semifinal matchup against top-seeded Strafford.