Undefeated no more—Republic win streak ends at 12 games

Keiran Govan (4) drives to the basket during Republic’s Saturday afternoon loss at Nixa. (Photo by Steve Rackley)
 

Republic’s basketball team matched the second-best start in program history with 12 straight wins before falling to Nixa in a physical battle Saturday afternoon.
The Tigers secured win number 12 with a grinding 56–40 victory over Ozark Tuesday night. C.J. Uhl led Republic with 15 points and Brenley Hagewood added 12. Hudson Roberts scored 12 for Ozark.
Republic held its fourth straight opponent under 50 points in the win. Coach Tim Brown credited his team’s athleticism and pressure defense, anchored by Uhl in the paint.
“Since our game on December 20th, not many teams have made it to 50. We knew that was an area that we wanted to be better at,” Brown said. “Having big CJ on the back end really makes us a lot more brave on the perimeter and what kind of pressure we can put on them.”
Despite the win, Republic’s offense struggled early, leading just 21–17 at halftime before finding its rhythm in the third quarter. Point guard Keiran Govan scored nine points and made seven of eight free throws.
Saturday, Nixa ended Republic’s perfect start with a 53–47 victory. Republic led through most of the first quarter, and the teams traded the lead seven times in the second period before Nixa took a three-point advantage into halftime.
The Tigers regained control in the third quarter, building their largest lead at 36–31. But Nixa responded with 10 consecutive points spanning the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth. During that run, Republic lost leading scorer Hagewood to injury with seven minutes remaining. He didn’t return.
“We knew there were gonna be things that we couldn’t control and things we could,” Brown said. “Their ability to get to the foul line better than we were able to, and their offensive rebounds [hurt us]. We didn’t rebound well off those foul shots. Every offensive rebound they had… they stepped up and made shots.”
Jaise Combs led all scorers with 20 points for Nixa. Hagewood finished with 13 points for Republic before his injury. Govan and Davin Parks scored 10 each.
Republic’s win streak ties the 1961–62 team for second-best start in program history.

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Lawrence County Record

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