Republic post players lead way in big week for Tigers, now 19-3/ Lady Tigers stay hot with two conference wins

Republic’s boys basketball team picked up two more wins last week to improve to 19–3, relying on strong defensive play and inside scoring to pick up victories over Neosho and Joplin.
The Tigers avoided an upset against Neosho, Monday, using a strong second-half defensive effort to overcome a 15-point deficit and win 57–50. They followed that with a commanding 72–44 victory over Joplin, Friday.
Against Neosho, Republic’s defense surrendered 38 first-half points before clamping down and allowing just 12 points after halftime. Brenley Hagewood scored 20 points to lead Republic. CJ Uhl added 16 and Keiran Govan finished with 10. Davin Parks scored nine points, with seven of them coming in the fourth quarter.
Friday against Joplin, the Tigers took control with a 22-point second quarter on their way to the win. Hagewood led all scorers with 22 points, including three three-pointers. Parks scored 12 and Uhl added 10.
“I think you look at our team, most of them like playing together, but those two have played really well off each other,” coach Tim Brown said of Parks and Uhl. “Coach Armstrong’s done a good job in developing both of those guys and making sure that they’re able to finish plays and play off each other well.”
Brown said the two post players bring different strengths to the floor.
“CJ’s a big, strong, tall force in there who’s playing really strong this year. And Dav’s kind of, we call him a hybrid. Dav can step out and guard just about any position,” he said. “He’s a really good cutter and he’s become a really good passer and he’s one of our best post passers.”
Republic is 3–0 in the Central Ozark Conference West Division with two games remaining.
Lady Tigers
Republic’s girls basketball team won its seventh and eighth straight games last week, blowing past Neosho and Joplin in Central Ozark Conference play to improve to 14–8.
The Lady Tigers tied a school record with 14 three-pointers in a 75–14 win at Neosho, Monday. They followed that with a 54–13 victory over Joplin, Friday.
Against Neosho, Republic jumped to a 26–0 lead in the first quarter. Sammi Watson scored 10 of her 14 points in the opening period. Lanney Strong led all scorers with 18 points, and Josie Stalzer added 13. The 14 three-pointers tied a school record set at Joplin in 2022.
Friday against Joplin, Strong scored 20 points and Paelyn Gilmore added 12, including all four of Republic’s three-pointers. Republic led 15–2 after one quarter and continued to pull away, leading 32–8 at halftime.
The Lady Tigers improved to 3–0 in the Central Ozark Conference West Division.