WEBB CITY, Mo. — Webb City had the lead early in the fourth quarter, but a signature win wasn’t meant to be.
Republic finished strong to earn a 52-44 Central Ozark Conference boys basketball victory over the Cardinals on Friday night inside the Cardinal Dome.
The game was deadlocked at 35 at the end of the third period, and the Cardinals went up two early in the final frame.
But the Tigers won the fourth quarter 17-9.
“I thought we lost a little bit of composure in the fourth quarter,” Webb City coach Jason Horn said. “We didn’t execute as well in the fourth quarter as we did during the third quarter and like we did during stretches of the first half. But I have to give our kids a lot of credit. They overcame some foul trouble and they battled through some tough positions. Republic just made a few more shots than us tonight.”
Webb City fell to 15-8 and 3-4 in conference play.
Senior guard Trenton Hayes scored 10 points to lead Webb City, while classmate Nickhai Howard added seven. Kaden Turner, Alex Martin and Cohl Vaden each scored six points.
Republic improved to 21-3 overall and 7-1 in the COC. Senior guard Drew McMillin scored a game-high 22 points for the Tigers, while sophomore guard Ahlante Askew also reached double figures with 12.
Republic is receiving votes in the Class 6 poll, while Webb City is ranked 10th in Class 5.
The Cardinals had several players in foul trouble throughout the contest. Webb City was called for 23 fouls, while Republic was whistled for eight fouls.
The Cardinals led 13-6 before the Tigers scored six straight. Hayes buried a buzzer-beating trey to give Webb City a 16-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Tigers scored the first seven points of the second quarter, but hoops from Hayes and Martin gave Webb City a 22-21 lead. After a basket from McMillin, Republic held a 23-22 advantage at intermission.
Webb City’s Turner scored three buckets late in the third period, and Martin’s hoop in the paint tied the game at 35 entering the fourth quarter.
Martin scored the first basket of the final period, but it would be Webb City’s last lead.
Republic used a 13-2 surge to take control. Seven of those points came at the charity stripe.
Vaden’s 3-pointer and Howard’s two free throws cut Webb City’s deficit to 49-44 with 32 seconds remaining. But the Tigers would convert three late free throws, while the Cardinals had a couple empty possessions late in the game.
Despite the loss, Horn noted there were positives for the Cardinals.
“Republic made us grind it out, but we were able to finish plays,” Horn added. “Republic got the tempo slowed down and we knew they were going to want to do that. Our plan was to get the ball inside and let our guys go to work around the basket. I thought we did a good job of that.”
Webb City is at Carthage on Tuesday. The Cardinals will host Neosho on Thursday in the regular season finale.
Also of note, Webb City’s boys will learn their district seed on Saturday.
