Some thoughts on the Class 4 District 11 Basketball Tournament as we enjoy a front-row seat for today’s truly bizarre wintry mix:
A frustrating end to the season for the Republic Lady Tigers, as they were upset by Rogersville 68-64 in the semifinals – but not necessarily a surprise.
That take and more after the jump…
Some would say this moment had been coming for some time. No one can question the Lady Tigers are a talented bunch, but they had struggled with slow starts and inconsistent play for much of the year. That lead coach Kris Flood to have what he called a “character-building” practice during the second half of the season (the basketballs never came out of the rack for that one), a rare move for him.
Credit, too, has to go to coach Keith Spaulding and the Lady ’Cats. They have steadily improved this season and were considered a threat even back in December, when Flood said the Pink & White committee didn’t do Republic any favors by handing L-R the 16th seed and giving them a first-round matchup with Republic. That was a close game for a half before Republic pulled away.
The Central Ozark Conference rematch this month was even closer. The Lady ’Cats hung in there for three quarters before Republic pulled away. That set up Tuesday’s meeting where the old chestnut “it’s hard to beat a team three times in one season” came true.
That was due in part to a good gameplan by Spaulding. He made sure his club got the ball to standout junior Callie Carroll – despite Republic’s best efforts to prevent that – and she responded with 12 first-half points. The Rogersville defense, meanwhile, kept the ball on the perimeter and forced Republic to shoot for 3, a risky proposition. RHS did hit five 3-pointers in the first half, but they did keep the ball away from Kara Blankenship, who can take over any game.
In the end it came down to who made plays, and the Lady ’Cats just made more. Puzzling, considering Republic was the veteran team. Yet there they were, nursing a three-point lead late in the game only to go 0-for-2 from the foul line, miss a lay-up and commit two turnovers.
Rogersville, win or lose against Branson in the championship game, will be a team to keep an eye on next season. They don’t play a single senior and got contributions from four underclassmen (three freshmen and a sophomore).
Republic, too, benefited from a youngster. It was Elle Aston, a sophomore, working to calm her teammates down in the fourth quarter. As they players lined up for an L-R free throw, Aston was telling the Lady Tigers to calm down and play their game.
As for the Tigers…
Would you have expected any less from the Republic-Rogersville game? I know these clashes are no fun for RHS coach Denny McHenry and L-R boss Rod Gorman – longtime friends and former colleagues at Bourbon – but their pain is our pleasure. It was a well-played, well-coached game that eventually went to the team that went after the loose balls and rebounds.
That team was Rogersville early before the Tigers woke up and battled. Hard. They played fantastic defense over the final quarter to spark a 12-2 run that put them on top. Rogersville got just three field goals in the final period and, by my count, just a pair of offensive rebounds. Republic, though, had four offensive boards.
The only downer was the fact Republic could’ve salted away the game at the foul line, but went just 6-for-13 over the final 3:29 – a fact that didn’t escape McHenry.
Now comes a rematch with Branson, just seven days after the Pirates escaped Republic with a 58-53 win on senior night. This one – which is still scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. – should be just as close. It’s been said that rematches like this often favor the team that lost the first time. Think McHenry agrees with that? We asked him and his answer will appear in our preview story. That should be up on our Web site late tonight or early tomorrow (oooooh….cliffhanger).
The rain right now seems to be melting the slush on the parking lot, but forming icicles on the cars. I don’t think it’s going to get much better tonight, so there is the possiblity that the title match will be moved back to Saturday (they’ve already postponed the girls game). Wither way, stay safe out there.
–Jeff
Now listening to: Mos Def – “Fear Not of Man”
