[wpbvideo id=”457812″]
By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
BOLIVAR – In a rematch of last year’s Class 5 quarterfinal, Columbia Rock Bridge held off the Republic Lady Tigers in overtime with a 59-55 victory at Southwest Baptist University.
Republic, which finished fourth in Class 5 in 2019 after knocking off Rock Bridge in the quarters, gave the state-ranked Lady Bruins all they could handle on Saturday afternoon, but came up just short.
The Lady Tigers have had some signature wins this season – snapping Strafford’s state-record winning streak and the sectional win over Kickapoo, among them.
“I was just telling the kids they’ve had a tremendous year,” Republic coach Kris Flood said. “Looking back, the final four last year – I think they felt like they might have had some expectations put on them a little bit this year. They’ve really come through.
“We’ve overcome several things – we’ve had some key injuries and just getting people to step in and fill in, I couldn’t ask for a better effort today. It was two good teams, and it took an extra four minutes to figure out who’s going to win. But, considering the circumstances and everything, I thought once the ball tipped, it was like a regular game. We’d like to have been on the other end, but at least we gave ourselves a chance to possibly win the game.”
And, that effort was exactly what Rock Bridge coach Jill Nagel expected from Republic.
“They gave us what I thought we’d get,” Nagel said. “They’re a very good team. Kris does a great job with his kids. They’re always well-coached, fundamentally sound and they’re one of those teams – you have to beat them. They’re not going to beat themselves. You have to beat them.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
It appeared that the Lady Bruins were going to just that early by jumping out to a 9-2 lead and then 10-5 at the end of the first quarter. They extended that lead to 12-5 to open the second before Republic went on a 7-0 run to tie it at 12 with 6:25 to go.
Both teams continued to battle back and forth in the second quarter. With Rock Bridge up 19-18, with a little more than two minutes remaining, the Lady Tigers turned Rock Bridge over on a 5-second count with 29.7 seconds left.
Kaemyn Bekemeier found Kaitlyn Ragsdale on the baseline for a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Lady Tigers a 21-19 lead going into intermission.
The two teams traded baskets to begin the third quarter, before Republic went on a 6-0 run to give the Lady Tigers a 29-23 advantage. Then, it was Rock Bridge’s turn, as it closed the gap to 29-27 as the teams again traded baskets with Republic taking a 33-32 lead into the fourth.
Rock Bridge opened the fourth with a 3-pointer from Mary Primus to put the Lady Bruins up 35-33. Bekemeier answered with a basket, and Savana Powell-Goodman gave Republic a 38-35 lead on a 3-pointer banked in from the top of the key.
With about four minutes to go, Rock Bridge had pulled back ahead (41-40) on two free throws from Eryn Puett and a steal and basket by Primus. Bekemeier came back with shot from the block (42-41) and then two free throws with 1:02 left (44-41).
It was Primus and Puett again for Rock Bridge as Primus found Puett on the wing for a 3-pointer to tie the game with 40.1 seconds remaining. Republic could not get a ball to go with the last possession, and the two teams headed to overtime.
The game was knotted at 48 in the extra session when Averi Kroenke hit a 3-pointer from the wing to put Rock Bridge up 51-48, which seemed to be the final blow. Republic just couldn’t get over the hump and the Lady Bruins sealed the deal from the free-throw line.
“I give them credit,” Flood said. “They hit some big shots, hit a couple of big 3s when it looked like we had the momentum. They had some kids step up and hit some big shots from the perimeter.
“I’m just so proud of the way our kids played and represented Republic. We’ve had some games where we just don’t get off to a very good start, a little cold maybe at the beginning. But, this group does know how to persevere. They’ll battle back and get back.”
Republic loses five seniors in Delaney Smith, Carle Ward, Jade Kirby, Shealyn Barrett and Whitney Weaver.
“They have represented Republic so well, and they’re great kids,” Flood said of his seniors. “They’re all-academic type kids and they’ve got a lot ahead of them. Like I said, this is just a little part, and I told them, ‘it’s going to hurt a little bit,’ but they’re going to reflect back and remember, not just the game, but everything they built.
“They’re going to be missed, but they’ve done so many positive things for us – that’s what I hope they remember.”
But, the future looks bright for Republic as 5-foot-9 freshmen, Bekemeier, led all scorers with 21 points and battled against a much-larger Rock Bridge frontline.
“We’ve fought that all year,” Flood said of the size differential. “We’re always going to be undersized against most teams we play. But, the kids do a good job of fighting through that and not really making where it’s a point of emphasis to them. It’s tough, but we try to adjust, and for the most part, we’ve been pretty successful.
“(Kaemyn) started out the beginning as just part of the rotation. We had some injuries and it kind of pushed her to the forefront into the starting lineup and she’s really responded. For a freshman, she plays like she’s older than a freshman. We have a really good group of underclassmen, we had a really good JV team, so it’s not like the cupboard is bare.
“Those seniors are going to be missed – just their leadership and the little things that’s behind the scenes.”
CLASS 5 QUARTERFINALS
ROCK BRIDGE 59, REPUBLIC 55 (OT)
ROCK BRIDGE 10-9-13-12-15—59
REPUBLIC 5-16-12-11-11—55
REPUBLIC (20-10) – Jazzy Kirby 7, Jade Kirby 11, Savana Powell-Goodman 13, Kaemyn Bekemeier 21, Kaitlyn Ragsdale 3.
ROCK BRIDGE (22-5) – Mary Primus 11, Sanaa St. Andre 8, Averi Kroenke 14, Eryn Puett 19, Kyrah Brodie 1, Caitlin Hayes 2, Kate Linnemeyer 2.
Up next: Class 5 semifinals – Rock Bridge vs. Hazelwood Central, 6:05 p.m., March 20, at JQH Arena, Missouri State University, Springfield
