By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
When the Republic Tigers saw their side of the Blue and Gold Tournament bracket, their eyes crept to the quarterfinal round.
Hillcrest, a recent opponent and Class 5 school led by strong guard play, would likely await.
Not exactly a golden ticket to the semifinals.
“When we saw that we were the 2-seed and (Hillcrest) were the 7-seed, to be honest with you, we weren’t too thrilled,” said Republic coach Tim Brown. “We know how talented they are.”
An undermanned but motivated Hillcrest squad put a scare into 2-seed Republic on Tuesday afternoon, with the Tigers ultimately holding on to win 62-55.
Senior guard Ahlante Askew (23) and sophomore guard Brenley Hedgewood (18) led the scoring for Republic.
Just two weeks ago, Republic won 77-55 on the Hornets’ home court.
“It’s never easy playing a good team again so soon. We knew they’d be fired up and play well,” Brown said. “This tournament can do weird things to you, too, at different times. We knew no lead was ever safe, no matter how much separation we could get.”
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Republic started to build some significant separation midway through the third quarter, with Hillcrest leading scorer Amarre Clark going to the bench in foul trouble.
Republic pushed its two-point lead up to 10 entering the fourth.
“We talk all the time about winning as many four-minute segments as we can,” Brown said. “I feel like we won the game with that run at the end of the third quarter.”
Once Clark returned, though, Hillcrest rallied. The senior guard led Hillcrest with 19 points, 12 of which occurred in the fourth quarter.
“He’s been in big games before. The moment is never too big for him,” said Hillcrest coach Jordan Fielding. “I was proud of how he bounced back from foul trouble. He’s a streaky shooter at times, but he picked a good game to hit a bunch of 3s and get to the rim.”
Braxton Baker (14) and Taner Hicks (12) also reached double figures for the Hornets.
“They showed a lot of heart,” Fielding said of his team. “We had starters out and other guys not necessarily playing their best game, but our bench really stepped up.
“I could go down the list just talking about them. They did great things to try and help us win.”
Fielding said the Hornets had an extra jolt of motivation for this week’s tournament after drawing the No. 7 seed.
“Absolutely,” Fielding said. “I’m sitting here trying to figure out why we were a 7-seed. I didn’t agree it… I didn’t understand it.
“At the end of the day, you have to beat good teams to win the Blue and Gold. So that’s the mentality we took into this tournament.”
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Like Clark, Askew was the go-to scorer for Republic down the stretch. He scored 16 of his game-high 23 in the second half.
“What makes him special is that he has a great feel for the game,” Brown said. “I don’t know if there’s anyone that has a better feel for the game than he does. Last year, we told him that the right play may not be the right play. The right play may be you forcing the issue to try to score points for us. I think that helped him last year, going through those growing pains.
“Our roster this year, with guys being more ready and having more skill and depth, it’s allowed (Askew) to go out and play the way he has his whole life.”
Republic advances to Wednesday’s semifinal round of the Blue Division. The Tigers will take on 3-seed Hartville at 5:30 p.m. at Great Southern Bank Arena.
The Tigers are two wins away from adding another first-place finish to the trophy case. Republic has won seven Blue and Gold championships overall, most recently in 2016.
“We knew our work will be cut out for us,” Brown said. “To be able to play on this side of the Blue and Gold, in the semifinals, it’s always special. Not many teams or players make it in their careers. Our program has been fortunate enough to do that several times. We’ll be excited to play whoever we face.”
Hillcrest (5-4 overall) will get a big boost after winter break.
Senior all-conference forward Cole Griesemer, who has missed all but one game this season with a knee injury, is expected to return to action in 1-to-2 weeks.
“We’re hoping to get him back at full strength by mid-January, so we can finish out our conference schedule and get prepared for postseason play,” Fielding said.
On the flip side, the Hornets added another player to the injury list in Tuesday’s loss. In the first quarter, starting guard AK Staten-Ballance dove on the floor for a loose ball. He suffered a concussion and did not return to the game.
“We’ve been preaching about getting on the floor for loose balls and hustle plays,” Fielding said. “He did, but now he’s out with a concussion. So when we play again tomorrow night, it’ll just be next guy up.”
Republic 62, Hillcrest 55
Republic 17 13 14 18 — 62
Hillcrest 19 9 6 21 — 55
Hillcrest (5-4 overall) – Amarre Clark 19, Braxton Baker 14, Taner Hicks 12, Coby Allen 4, Malachi Shull 3, AK Staten-Ballance 3
Republic (8-1 overall) – Ahlante Askew 23, Renley Hedgewood 18, Kamari Edwards 7, Isaiah Nabors 7, Gunner Ellison 6, Aslan Ebisch 1
