Republic Lady Tigers clinch outright COC title with 9-0 record

Republic 57,
Willard 33
Republic allowed just ten points in the second half, running away from Willard on the road for a 57–33 win. Junior Lanney Strong scored 15 points to lead Republic, and Misora Nambara was also in double figures with nine points. An 11–0 run near the end of the first half was the key stretch, helping Republic build a 29–23 lead at halftime and setting up a runaway second half.
Republic 47,
Carl Junction 41
Republic overcame a double-digit deficit late in the third quarter, storming back for a 47–41 win over Carl Junction to finish as outright Central Ozark Conference (COC) championions. Republic went on a 27–7 run during the third and fourth quarters to complete the comeback. Coach Kris Flood said finishing strong was not surprising for this team.
“”It’s just been kind of a calling card for them. They don’t really give up. They always feel like they’re in it,” he said.
With three and a half minutes left in the third quarter, it looked like the Lady Tigers’ hopes of an undisputed COC title would fall by the wayside and they would have to settle for a first-place tie with Nixa. Carl Junction used a spread-out zone defense to shut down the Lady Tigers, building a 31–20 lead.
But a three-pointer by Alex Price, one of Republic’s seven seniors, started a rally that turned the game around. She followed that up with a steal, setting up another three-pointer by Molly Blades to cut the lead to five points. Early in the fourth quarter, Republic put together a 10–0 run to take the lead and never trailed again.
Before the game, Republic had recognized seven seniors: Misora Nambara, Lauren Chastain, Molly Blades, Alex Price, Gracie Woods, Alaina Norman, and Molly Mason. Flood said their experience pays off in situations like the team faced Thursday.
“It helps having that experience and those seniors,” he said. “And everybody on the bench was into it. It’s just been a really special regular season, but now we’ve flipped the page and we’ve moved into the postseason. Hopefully, we can keep this little run we’ve had ever since we flipped the calendar to 2024. It’s been tremendous.”
Molly Blades led Republic with 20 points and Alex Price added 11.
Republic finished its regular season with a 21–4 record and 14 consecutive wins. The Lady Tigers ended with a 9–0 COC record, winning their first outright COC championship since 2019.