Republic Tigers win Blue and Gold tourney, remain undefeated

Best start in three decades for Republic Tiger basketball
Republic boys basketball celebrated an eventful week, capturing its second Blue & Gold Tournament championship in three years, then following that with a victory over Waynesville to improve to 11–0.
In Monday’s Blue & Gold championship game, Republic knocked off Bolivar, 64–49, behind a combined 41 points from Brody Blades and Brenley Hagewood. Blades knocked down six three-pointers, and Hagewood added two threes of his own, along with two thunderous dunks that energized the Republic crowd.
Republic used a 13-point run to take control early in the second period. Although Bolivar cut the lead to five at halftime and three early in the third quarter, Republic pulled away by outscoring the Liberators 37–25 down the stretch.
“Any time you can win one of these things in southwest Missouri with the level of programs and coaches and players that are in this tournament, they’re hard to win,” said coach Tim Brown. “We got our second in three years, and I’m just happy for our guys.”
Hagewood scored 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter to help seal the victory. His performance helped him finish his Blue & Gold career with 240 points, unofficially, good for eighth place all-time. Only Howard Arndt, with 252 points, has scored more Blue & Gold points for Republic.
Four days later, the Tigers kept their perfect season alive with a 63–48 win over Waynesville. C.J. Uhl dominated inside with a career-high 20 points to lead Republic. Hagewood added 13.
Republic stormed to a 17–2 lead in the first quarter and led by 10 at halftime. A 22-point third quarter helped put the game out of reach, with Republic leading 50–27 heading into the fourth.
“CJ did a nice job. He’s earned the right to get more touches, and I thought our kids did a good job of finding him,” Brown said. “It’s good to see him score the basketball at such a high rate.”
The win moved Republic to 11–0, its third-best start in program history. Only the 1992–93 team, which started 18–0, and the 1961–62 team, which started 12–0, have opened with longer winning streaks.