Nixa’s swarming full-court press overwhelmed Republic early, building a 16-point lead that proved too much to overcome in a 48-36 win Thursday. Though Republic battled back several times to get within single digits, the damage from a 17-1 deficit in the opening minutes was decisive.
“Their press hurt us worse than I thought (it would),” Republic coach Tori Mooneyham said. “When you get out there on the floor, you realize how long and lanky they are. They trapped that first pass and we just struggled with that.”
Republic’s big first-quarter deficit hearkened back to an early-season pattern of first-quarter struggles for the Lady Tigers…