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By John Miller (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Springfield, Mo. – Stifling defense has been the hallmark of the Trevyor Fisher-led Republic Tigers. On Thursday night, the offensive-minded Ozark Tigers found that out firsthand.
Republic snuffed Ozark’s 3-point shooting, high-scoring attack and held on late for a 51-46 Gold Division semifinal win in the Blue and Gold Tournament at JQH Arena.
Ozark shot 38 percent from the field and made only 4-of-20 3-point attempts against the Tigers’ defense.
Senior guard Quinn Nelson, Ozark’s top offensive option, was held to 11 points as Republic marked him from the opening tip.
“If he’s hitting shots, he’s really, really hard to guard,” said Republic guard Trent Rackley, who had 12 points and was one of several Tigers charged with the task of defending Nelson. “He’s 6-foot-3 and really long, and he’s got such pretty form so he can just shoot right over you. We tried to get in his head at first and make sure he knew that he was going to have to work for every shot and it’s not going to come easily like it usually does.”
Republic tried to eliminate Nelson’s scoring ability, turning him into a facilitator instead.
“We knew he was their go-to guy,” Fisher said. “If we were going to lose, we wanted to make sure that other guys were the ones that beat us. We tried to limit his touches and open looks and make those guys step up and make shots. Thank goodness for us, their good shooters missed some. I thought we did a good job rebounding out of what we were trying to do on defense.”
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Broc Smith grabbed 13 rebounds as Republic beat Ozark 27-16 on the boards. Just as impressive, they limited Ozark to only two offensive rebounds.
“We did a spectacular job of putting a body on someone and going and getting the ball,” said Smith, who also led Republic with 16 points. “We made a big emphasis on them not having second chance points because they’re so good, and if they get second chances, there’s a good chance they’re going to score.”
After leading 21-17 at halftime, Republic saw its lead erased in the opening moments of the third quarter. Kristian Cooper banged consecutive treys, putting Ozark ahead 23-21.
The lead was short-lived. Republic countered with a 10-0 run, holding Ozark without points for the next 4:31.
“We were really active on defense,” Smith said. “We were talking. That makes it a lot easier to pick and choose where to be at and where you need to be at.”
Republic stayed in command until late in the fourth quarter when Ozark made its push. Trailing 44-35 with 1:31 remaining, Ozark’s full-court pressure sped up and turned the Tigers over. After trimming the deficit to 46-41 with 29 seconds left, Nelson pulled up from 30-plus feet and drilled his only 3-pointer of the game.
Ozark wouldn’t get any closer. Forced to foul, Ozark sent Smith, Rackley, and Race Looney to the free-throw line. The three guys combined to make 5-of-6 free throws in the final 12 seconds to ice the win.
“We kept our composure and were able to get the right people to the free throw line,” Fisher said. “We made some big shots down the stretch. That’s mental toughness coming through at the end of the game.”
Payton Nichols led Ozark with 12 points.
Republic 51, Ozark 46
RHS 11 10 12 18
OHS 11 6 10 11
Republic: Smith 16, Rackley 12, Looney 8, Creek 7, Thomas 6, McMillan 2
Ozark: Nichols 12, Nelson 11, Cooper 8, Ramsdell 5, Holzer 2, Capps 2 Hanks 2, Skipworth 2, Elliott 2
