Tigers take two in central Missouri and Helias hands Lady Tigers their first loss

Tigers take two in central Missouri
    A two-game swing through central Missouri resulted in two wins for Republic. The Tigers beat Fatima in Westphalia Friday night, 72-67, and followed it up with a win at Blair Oaks Saturday afternoon, 57-40. Friday against Fatima, Ahlante Askew led the Tigers in scoring with 17 points, and he also reached a personal milestone, scoring his 1,000th career point. Three teammates joined him in double figures: Jordan Douglas scored 15 point on five three-pointers, James Rexroat scored 14, Isaiah Nabors added 11, and Gunner Ellison scored 10. Nabors and Ellison combined to make 11 free throws in the fourth quarter to help hold off the Comets. The Tigers led 16-15 at the end of the first quarter, and the teams were tied 32-32 at halftime. Fatima took a 45-43 lead late in the third quarter, but Republic went on a 9-2 run to grab a 50-45 lead after three, then scored the first bucket of the fourth quarter to take a seven-point lead. Fatima used its long-range shooting to stay in the game. The Comets made 10 three-pointers, helping them to keep Republic's lead in single digits most of the night.

Individual scoring
Ahlante Askew 17, Jordan Douglas 15, James Rexroat 13, Isaiah Nabors 11, Gunner Ellison 10, Brenley Hagewood 6
Saturday in Wardsville, the Tigers pulled away from Blair Oaks on its home floor for a 17-point win, 57-40. Republic out-paced the Falcons 37-22 during the second and third quarters combined to take control of the game. Brenley Hagewood led three Tigers in double figures with 17 points. He made two of Republic's seven three-pointers. Ahlante Askew scored 12, including a long three during Republic's decisive run in the third quarter. Aslan Ebisch finished with ten, and played a big role in the first half effort, when he scored eight. But the biggest factor in the game may have been the defense played by Ahlante Askew. Askew was assigned to Zach Henry, who had been leading Blair Oaks with 30 points per game. He managed to take only four shots all day, and one of those was on a steal and a layup. He finished with just eight points.

Individual Scoring
Brenley Hagewood 17, Ahlante Askew 12, Aslan Ebisch 10, Khamari Edwards 6, Jordan Douglas 5, James Rexroat 4, Gunner Ellison 3

Helias hands Lady Tigers their first loss
    Helias outscored Republic 14-9 in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 55-50 win in the 48 Hours of Basketball shootout in Springfield, Friday. The undefeated opponents were tied 41-41 heading into the fourth quarter, but several empty possessions in a row by the Lady Tigers helped Helias gain the upper hand. Republic led 18-16 after the first quarter and appeared poised to take a three-point lead into the halftime locker room. But a buzzer-beating shot from near half-court by Helias's Ava Morris tied the game 27-27 at the break. The teams remained tied throughout the third quarter, with Kaemyn Bekemeier doing the bulk of the scoring for Republic. She had 10 of her team-high 26 points in the third period. Late free throws by Claire Galbraith put the game out of reach for Helias. Republic suffered its first loss, falling to 3-1. Helias improved to 7-0.

Individual Scoring
Kaemyn Bekemeier 26, Misora Nambara 10, Lauren Chastain 5, Hope Schatz 5, Molly Mason 2, Alaina Norman 2