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By John Miller
The cliché of “defense wins championships” is often an overused phrase, but in the case of the Republic Tigers, it’s accurate.
The No. 1-seed Tigers suffocated No. 2-seed Glendale’s talented offense and executed against its trapping zone defense in a 74-50 Blue Division championship win on Thursday night at JQH Arena.
They held the Falcons to 35 percent shooting (13-for-37) and 24 percent from beyond the 3-point arc (5-for-21).
In the four-day tournament, the Tigers allowed 141 points—just nine points away from tying the tournament’s record. Springfield Central gave up only 132 points in 1955.
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“You’ve got a bull’s-eye on your back any time you’re a one seed and you’ve had success,” Republic coach Trevyor Fisher said. “We knew we were going to get everybody’s best shot. Our guys did a good job responding to that. It’s a testament to having six seniors out on the floor.”
It was a sophomore for Republic (9-1) who led the way—forward Broc Smith poured in a game-high 21 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Treydon Rackley added 13 points and Caleb Singley had 12 points for the Tigers.
“They sky’s the limit for him,” Fisher said of Smith. “He’s just going to keep getting better and better.”
Glendale (6-5) guard Monty Johal also scored 21 points, with 14 coming in the first half. He finished with 112 points in the four-game tournament, just 10 points away from tying the tournament’s scoring record of 122, set by Aurora’s Jason Fronabarger in 1994.
Jordan Walton added 14 points for the Falcons.
“We knew (Johal) was going to get his and Walton was going to get his,” Fisher said. “We wanted to focus on taking (Jaxon Davis’) production away from the 3-point line … and make (Johal) and (Walton) take tough, contested jump shots. I thought we did that well.”
Offensively, Republic took control early. After falling behind 7-4, the Tigers went on a 13-0 run, and led 21-10 by the end of the period. The lead was 32-22 at halftime and 45-30 at the end of the third.
Glendale’s trapping 1-3-1 zone defense, aimed at speeding up the Tigers, was negated by Republic’s quick, crisp ball movement and patient offensive attack.
The Tigers shot 48 percent from the floor (23-for-48), largely due to the team’s ability to wait for high-quality shots each possession.
“They trap you and make you play fast and out of control,” Fisher said. “I thought we did a good job of being patient and not getting in too big of a hurry and, ultimately, getting great shots every possession. That was the key. We got layups, got to the foul line. I thought we handled their pressure pretty well.”
When they did miss, Smith and company were there to grab the rebound. The Tigers out-rebounded Glendale 34-20 and pulled down 12 offensive rebounds.
“We knew their 1-3-1 zone was aggressive up top, so we knew the backside was kind of weak, so we knew we had to be aggressive on the boards,” said Singley, one of six Tigers with at least four rebounds. “It was also kind of a mindset. You go bet the ball. If you want it enough, you go get it.”
The Tigers were aware of the importance of rebounding, especially on the defensive end.
“If you give (Glendale) two or three opportunities, they’ll make you pay,” Smith said. “Monty and Jordan, those guys will make you pay … and (Davis) can flat-out stroke it.”
Republic’s title is the school’s first Blue and Gold championship since a 34-27 win over Parkview in the Gold Division title in 2012.
Republic 74, Glendale 50
Republic 21 11 13 29 74
Glendale 10 12 8 20 50
Republic: Rackley 13, Coiner 6, Stevens 9, Ward 6, Doke 7, Smith 21, Singley 12
Glendale: Johal 21, Walton 14, Davis 7, Freeman 5, Call 2, Oeser 1
