REPUBLIC, Mo. — Despite a solid effort, Webb City suffered a 54-42 setback to Republic on Saturday afternoon in a Central Ozark Conference girls basketball clash.
The Tigers scored the first 13 points of the second half to take an 18-point cushion. The Cardinals trimmed their deficit to six late in the game, but it wasn’t enough.
Webb City fell to 10-13 overall and 2-5 in the COC.
Freshman forward Sami Mancini scored 19 points to lead the Cardinals, while junior guard Kate Brownfield added 14 points.
Brownfield had 11 of Webb City’s 19 first-half points, while Mancini scored 13 points in the second half.
Ranked eighth in Class 6, Republic improved to 18-6 overall and 7-1 in the COC.
Missouri State recruit Kaemyn Bekemeier scored 27 points for the Tigers.
Struggling with turnovers early in the game, the Cardinals recorded just two field goals in the first quarter, hoops from Brownfield and Mancini, and the visitors trailed 14-5.
The Cardinals turned things around in a hurry as soon as the second quarter arrived. Webb City started the second period on a 12-0 run to take a 17-14 lead.
But Republic closed the first half on a 10-2 surge, with Bekemeier scoring eight to give the Tigers a 24-19 halftime lead.
The hosts scored 13 unanswered points to begin the third quarter to blow the game open at 37-19.
The Cardinals scored seven straight points late in the third period, but the visitors trailed 39-28 entering the fourth quarter.
Five points from Mancini trimmed Webb City’s deficit to six at 39-33 with six minutes to play. A 3-pointer from Mia Robbins and a bucket from Mancini cut Republic’s lead to six with 1:32 to play.
But the Tigers made 6-of-8 free throws down the stretch to secure the win.
Webb City, a 49-43 winner at East Newton on Friday, hosts Carthage at 6 on Tuesday.
