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To beat Republic, says Liberators coach Robby Hoegh, you have to mimic them.
Tough defense. Prevent dribble penetration and layups. Limit mistakes. Find great shots.
The Liberators gave a pretty good impersonation of the defending Blue Division championships on Friday night, prevailing 40-35 in a defensive-minded battle where possessions and shots were deliberate.
“You can’t beat Republic unless you play like Republic,” Hoegh said. “Otherwise you’re going to get beat. We were deliberate, we were guarding, we kept them out of transition with the exception of the third quarter when they made their run.
“These are my favorite games. I know fans don’t like these 40-35 games. I love watching Republic play. I love the stuff they do. These games are always fun because (Republic) always challenges you.”
Trailing by nine at halftime (21-12), the Tigers quickly awoke in the third quarter with a 13-2 run.
Cameron Doke and Devon Ward sparked the rally. Doke’s 3-pointer gave Republic its only lead of the game, 25-23.
Republic, ranked No. 8 in Class 5 in this week’s state coaches’ poll, seemed to be playing like the team that won the Blue and Gold last week.
“Don’t panic,” Hoegh said of what he told his team. “I said it, and I was probably the one that was most panicked. I looked at Conley (Garrison), he’s just stone-faced. I knew we were going to be fine. You don’t know if you’re going to win the game, but I know it’s not because we’re going to melt down. We haven’t melted down all year.”
Bolivar quickly answered, getting a 3-pointer from Corey Spindler on its next possession to ultimately retake the lead for good.
“You had to anticipate (Republic) was going to make a run,” said Bolivar senior point guard Conley Garrison, who scored a game-high 10. “That’s what good teams do. I can’t speak for the other guys, but I was ready for (Republic) to make a run.
“I just tried to stay as calm as I could and you know what? Next possession, we came down and Corey (Spindler) hit a big-time 3-pointer to get us the lead back. We didn’t panic and it turned out all right.”
Bolivar led by only one (26-25) at the start of the fourth quarter. Brandon Emmert’s basket, coming on a spin-move toward the baseline against a double-team, gave the Liberators a 30-25 lead and a bit of breathing room.
Later, Bolivar used three quick passes – without the ball touching the floor – to swing the ball from Emmert’s hands on the left block out to a wide-open Connor Sechler on the right wing.
His 3-pointer put Bolivar ahead 33-26 and Republic never got closer than five points the rest of the way. Garrison made four free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal the victory.
The victory helped Bolivar avenge a triple-overtime loss to Republic last season, which coincidentally came after the Liberators had won the Gold Division championship in the Blue and Gold Tournament.
“It’s hard to move – it’s hard to get a shot – on those guys,” Garrison said. “(Republic) plays great defense. It’s fun to play these types of games.”
Added Hoegh: “We (Bolivar and Republic) both plays gaps. We both say, ‘You’re going to have to make some perimeter shots at key times to beat us.’ Then we also both have the patience to wait not just for a good shot, but a great shot.”
Republic held Brandon Emmert to seven points, double-teaming him often throughout the game. But the Liberators had plenty of support behind him, as Ian Jones scored 8, Spindler had 6 points and Sechler had 5 points.
“I get the sense that people don’t recognize them as much as they should recognize them, because we wouldn’t be anywhere without those guys,” Garrison said. “They’ve been doing it all year.”
Republic’s 35 points were its fewest in any game this season, the previous low coming in a 47-36 win over Parkview and a 51-47 loss to Cardinal Ritter.
“We didn’t move with any sort of purpose,” said Republic coach Trevyor Fisher. “We just kind of ran around – actually, jogged around – and settled for bad, quick shots.
“(Bolivar) did to us what we try to do to other people: take bad shots and get you out of your offense. We didn’t react well to it when things didn’t go our way.”
Doke led Republic with 8 points, while five other Tigers scored 5 apiece.
Republic will have a chance to bounce back Tuesday at home against Carl Junction before playing in the Tournament of Champions Jan. 12-14.
“It’s not the end of the world by any means, but we’ve got to learn from it,” Fisher said. “We have guys who realize they need to play better. We’ve got to stay together, move on and keep grinding out.”
Bolivar improved to 12-2 overall, its losses coming in overtime to Willard in the Blue and Gold and double-overtime at Helias Catholic. The Liberators travel to Marshfield on Tuesday.
Republic 8 4 13 10 — 35
Bolivar 10 11 5 14 — 40
Republic – Cameron Doke 8, Caleb Singley 5, Broc Smith 5, Devon Ward 5, Ty Stevens 5, Treydon Rackley 5, Mitch Coiner 2
Bolivar – Conley Garrison 10, Ian Jones 8, Brandon Emmert 7, Corey Spindler 6, Connor Sechler 5, Jack Pitts 4
Records: Bolivar 12-2, Republic 10-2
