Republic wallops Waynesville to open Pink & White

No. 2 seed Lady Tigers take down seventh seed in first round blowout
 
Republic shut down Waynesville from start to finish, allowing just eight first-half points in a 58-21 win to open the Pink & White Tournament in Springfield, Monday. Waynesville managed just three field goals in the first half—none in the second quarter—as Republic used full-court pressure to smother Waynesville from one end of the court to the other.
Hope Schatz got the Lady Tigers out to a quick start with two three-pointers, and four of the five starters had scored within the first five minutes of action. Republic led 20-8 at the end of the first quarter and 32-8 at halftime.
“Points… steals, rebounds, little things like that always bring me confidence,” Schatz said. “So it was important to me when I hit those (three pointers), it kind of got me
rolling.”
The Lady Tigers’ full-court pressure resulted in several easy baskets in the first half. And when Waynesville did break the full-court pressure, Republic often forced a turnover in the front court before Waynesville could take a shot.
“We have plenty of kids that are capable (of scoring),” said coach Kris Flood. “It’s just a matter of getting that consistency. Hope’s had two or three games in a row now where she’s played really well, and started to get a lot of confidence.”
Breona Hurd, the best player on Waynesville’s roster, had to carry even more of the load than usual because Waynesville was shorthanded because of player illnesses. Hurd scored 20 of Waynesville’s 21 points.
Schatz led Republic with 14 points. Kaemyn Bekemeier had 12 and Alaina Norman was also in double figures with 11.
Republic improved to 5-2 with the win. They advanced to a quarterfinal matchup with Ava, Tuesday.
Republic Scoring
Hope Schatz 14, Kaemyn Bekemeier 12, Alaina Norman 11, Rilynn Finley 8, Misora Nambara 8, Lauren Chastain 5.