Republic Lady Tigers finish fourth in Class 5 state playoffs

Making their first appearance at the Show-Me Showdown since 2012, and their first-ever in Class 5, the Republic Lady Tigers went cold at just the wrong time. Republic made just 20 percent of its shots from the floor in the state semifinal against North Kansas City, suffering a 42–29 loss. In the state third- place game against Parkway Central the following day, Republic improved its shooting but fell just short again, losing 55–53 on a last-second shot.
Semifinals: North Kansas City 42, Republic 29 North Kansas City entered the Show-Me Show- down with the best defensive numbers of any of the four teams. The Hornets allowed just 29 points per game all season, and they were right on target against Republic in their semifinal matchup. Republic made just three field goals on 21 attempts in the first half,
good for 14.3 percent. “I think the major thing is they’re really long and super lanky... we’re used to that, but they’re also really quick,” senior Halli Bartelsmeyer said of the Hornets’ defense. “Usually when we have a taller group, they’re kind of slower, but these
girls were pretty quick.” Republic jumped ahead 5–2, but that was the best it would be all day for the Lady Tigers. The Hornets grabbed a 13–8 lead by the end of the first quarter, then outscored Republic 9–4 in the second quarter to take a 22–12 lead into
the halftime break. Coach Kris Flood agreed
that North Kansas City’s quickness combined with its superior size posed different challenges than previous playoff opponents Kickapoo and Rock Bridge.
“They could cover our penetration. If we went to our five-guard-type look or spread, they were able to contain,” Flood said.
Republic showed signs of life in the third quarter, forcing several turnovers with a full-court press. A Jade Kirby shot in the lane cut the lead to three at one point, but that’s as close as Republic would get the rest of the way. North Kansas City scored two buckets to close out the quarter, extending the lead to seven again, and never looked back.
“We’d be right there and we were battling. Give them credit. They came back and attacked a little bit with their penetration and got some baskets on us,” said Flood. “It just seemed like we could not get over that hump–just grab hold
of that momentum and keep it. We were getting some turnovers, but we just couldn’t capitalize on it today.”
The Lady Tigers forced 26 Hornet turnovers, but turned the ball over 19 times themselves. Republic hadn’t scored fewer than 30 points since its season opener against Lee’s Summit West in November. In addition to shooting just 20.5% (8-for–39) from the floor, the Lady Tigers were just 4-for–19 from three- point range.
North Kansas City improved to 28–2. The Hornets went on to beat Jefferson City to win the Class 5 state championship.
Scoring
Savana Powell-Good- man 10, Clara Fronabarger 9, Halli Bartelsmeyer 4, Delaney Smith 3, Jade Kirby 2, Jazzy Kirby 1
State 3rd-Place Game: Parkway Central 55, Republic 53
After shutting down Parkway Central’s two tallest players for most of the game, Republic allowed the shortest player on the court to make the difference. Parkway Central point guard Kennedy Moore, only 5’2”, grabbed an offensive rebound and floated the ball over the front of the rim as time expired to give the Colts a dramatic win in the state third-place game.
Republic had overcome a nine-point deficit in the third quarter to take the lead, seeming to take control of the game after it looked like they would go away quietly. But Parkway Central scored seven points in the final 20 seconds of the game, including Moore’s game-winner, to pull out the victory.
“We gave ourselves some chances. I give credit to Parkway. They got some plays down there at the end, executed out, and they were the ones that came out on top,” said coach Kris Flood. “Not that our kids didn’t play hard.
Republic led by two points when Parkway Central’s Olivia Stephens made two free throws to tie the game with just under five seconds remaining. On the ensuing in-bounds play, the referee ruled that Clara Fronabarger touched the ball before re-establishing herself inside the court af- ter throwing the in-bounds pass. That gave the ball back to Parkway Central.
On the resulting play, Parkway Central missed its first shot, but Moore grabbed the rebound in the lane and followed the shot to win the game.
“You don’t want it to end that way, but it is what it is, and it’s been a tremendous ride,” said Flood.
For the second day in a row, Republic led early, then went cold. Parkway Central overcame a 5–0 deficit to take an 8–5 lead at the end of the first quarter. Parkway Central jumped to a 17–10 lead before Republic answered with a 14–0 run to take the lead 24–17. The Colts responded with a run of their own, scoring five straight to cut the Republic lead to 24–22 at halftime.
In the second half, the streaky play of both teams continued. A 10–0 run by Parkway Central gave the Colts a nine-point lead early in the fourth quarter. But Republic stormed back again, scoring 13 consecutive points to re-take the lead, 45–41, with a smaller lineup on the floor.
“We felt like there might have been some matchups there that we could expose a little bit. For the most part, when we made some runs, it was with a smaller group. We thought it was a time to push through,” Flood said.
With Republic leading 52–48, Cynaa Coleman rose up to make a long three-pointer from the right wing to cut the lead to one. Republic made one of two free throws on its next possession, but Stephens tied the game with two free throws, setting up Moore’s last-second heroics.
Senior Halli Bartelsmeyer scored 13 points to lead Republic. Savana Powell-Goodman, who came off the bench to provide a boost for Republic for the second day in a row, scored 12.
The game marked the final one in a Republic uniform for Bartelsmeyer, Anna Bell, and Avylina Powell-Qualo.
“This has just been a tremendous experience. I’m so appreciative that they got to have it,” said Flood. “They’ve been a fun group to work with this year. I know it ended on a sour note, but I think once they get time to decompress a little bit and think about it, they’ll remember the majority of good times... They get along so well, and these three [seniors] have taken theunder-classmenunder their wing.”
Scoring
Halli Bartelsmeyer 13, Savana Powell-Goodman 12, Jazzy Kirby 8, Clara Fronabarger 6, Kaitlyn Ragsdale 5, Anna Bell 4, Shealyn Barrett 3, Jade Kirby 2