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By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Springfield, Mo. — With 25 seconds to go in Saturday’s Class 5 third-place game, Republic was in the driver’s seat.
After clawing back in the final period from a 9-point deficit, the Lady Tigers opened up a 4-point lead on Parkway Central.
Then the wheels came off.
The Lady Colts rallied to score 6 points in the final 25 seconds — including Kennedy Moore’s game-winning put-back at the buzzer — to capture a 55-53 victory.
The thrilling, back-and-forth battle featured five ties and seven lead changes.
Parkway Central took control in the second half and opened up a 41-32 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Knowing his team needed a spark, Republic head coach Kris Flood went to a five-guard lineup.
“As a staff, we felt like there might have been some matchups where we could expose them a little bit,” Flood said. “For the most part, when we’ve made some runs, it’s been with a smaller group. We thought, at the time, that might be the juncture to try and make a push.”
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After 3-pointer from Savana Powell-Goodman tied the game at 41-41, the sophomore guard hit a pair for free throws moments later to give Republic the lead.
The Lady Tigers stretched the advantage to as many as 5 points prior to Parkway Central’s last-minute heroics.
After the game, Flood credited Parkway Central for capitalizing on late opportunities in the contest.
“We gave ourselves some chances there,” Flood said. “I gave credit to North Kansas City yesterday; I give credit to Parkway today — they got some plays down there at the end, executed out and were the ones that came out on top.”
Halli Bartelsmeyer led the Lady Tigers with 13 points. She was joined in double figures by Powell-Goodman, who added 12.
While things didn’t turn out as planned, Flood was quick to recognize the team’s accomplishments and storybook run through the postseason.
“This has just been a tremendous experience,” Flood said. “I am I’m so appreciative that they got to have it — all of all of the seniors and all the underclassmen — they’ve been a fun group to work with this year. I know it ended on a on a sour note but I think once they get time to kind of decompress a little bit and think about it, they’ll remember a majority of the good times.”
Despite the loss, Senior Anna Bell was appreciative of the experience with her teammates and friends.
“I feel like we had a lot of fun this game,” Bell said. “We made that a priority before going into it to make sure we have fun — it’s our last game as seniors.”
Classmate Avylina Powell-Qualo, who missed most of the season due to a knee injury, added an important lesson learned during her career.
“Play the game to your hardest,” Powell-Qualo said. “You never know when it’s going to end.”
Republic finishes its season at 22-10. The Lady Tigers graduate seniors Powell-Qualo, Bell and Halli Bartelsmeyer.
Class 5 third-place final: Parkway Central – 55, Republic – 53
Republic 05 19 08 21 — 53
Parkway 08 14 14 19 — 55
Parkway Central scoring: Olivia Stephens – 16, Brooke Hilton – 14, Cynaa Coleman – 11, Kennedy Moore – 6, Claudia Cooke – 5, Jayla Kelly – 3
Republic scoring: Halli Bartlesmeyer – 13, Savana Powell-Goodman – 12, Jazzy Kirby – 8,
Clara Fronabarger – 6, Kaitlyn Ragsdale – 5, Anna Bell – 4, Shealyn Barrett – 3, Jade Kirby – 2
