By Pat Dailey (For OzarkSportsZone.com)
Kickapoo’s Trae Oetting dictated the pace, as he helped lead his team to a 59-49 win in a Class 6 District 5 semifinal Friday.
Oetting scored a game-high 20 points, while helping Kickapoo maintain a lead of eight to 12 points most of the night.
“I thought he dictated how the game went,” Chiefs coach Mitch McHenry said. “He hunted good shots and high-percentage shots for him and his teammates. Our guys did a good job finding him when he was open.”
McHenry has been happy to see Oetting reap the rewards of an unwavering work ethic while elevating his game from good to great.
“He did a good job last year, but has been phenomenal this year,” McHenry said. “He works hard all the time. Basketball is very important to him. This is not just the result of one summer, this is the result of multiple summers and multiple years of him working the right way.
“Our schedule and who we’ve played throughout the year set him up and our guys up for district time and a game like this,” McHenry added.
“I’ve been working on shooting off the dribble,” Oetting said. “I feel that’s improved a lot and I’m pretty excited that it did. I try to implement that into the game.”
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An Oetting 15-foot jumper just before the halftime buzzer gave Oetting 12 first-half points and gave Kickapoo a 32-21 halftime lead.
“We wanted to feel good going into the half. We needed the momentum,” Oetting said.
Chiefs forward Brayden Shorter netted 15 of his 19 points in the second half.
“He didn’t get a whole lot of shots early in the game. He was patient. He didn’t shoot bad shots,” McHenry said of Shorter. “He showed he’s able to score not just shooting 3s. He was able to get to some other spots and score.”
“Trae got going in the first half and Brayden got going in the second half,” Republic coach Tim Brown said. “They kind of took turns going to work.”
Shorter exploded for seven 3-pointers and 27 points in a district semifinal against Ozark last year. He’s since made his mid-range game better and scored all over the court against Republic.
“I knew teams would be guarding me on the 3-point line since I shot the ball well there last year,” Shorter said. “They were coming out to guard me hard, so I worked on getting to the rim and going to my pull-up jumper. My confidence in those shots is real high right now.”
Kickapoo kept Republic from mounting a serious comeback in the second half.
“We played really good defensively and what they do offensively is hard to guard,” McHenry said. “We were locked in and battled for four quarters.”
Brown felt any time Republic tried to rally, the Tigers would be guilty of a turnover or bad shot.
“We had way too many empty possessions,” Brown said. “They are too good of a team to have empty possessions. It was a combination of unforced things we hadn’t done all year. You get in an environment like this and sometimes that happens.”
Republic received 23 points from sophomore Brenley Hagewood.
“He has an unbelievable gift to score,” Brown said. “We’re glad we have him for two more years and excited to see where he’s going to continue to elevate his game.”
For Repbulic start senior Ahlante Askew, his finale was his 111th game over four seasons.
“He started every game for us in a Republic uniform and was a big part of the reason why we’ve had success,” Brown said. “He’s going to go down as one of the best to play in our program. He’s a 1,000-point scorer and our all-time leader in assists and steals. He’s done it in all aspects.”
The Tigers (24-4) improved by nine wins from last season.
“Our kids had an unbelievable year,” Brown said. “Having an 18-game win streak and winning a Blue & Gold title and Bolivar Invitational title, you’ve done something special.”
Kickapoo (20-8) upped its streak of reaching 20 wins to five seasons. The Chiefs advance to face Nixa in the District final Monday.
Kickapoo has lost three straight to the Eagles.
“We’ve been wanting to beat Nixa since my freshman year,” Shorter said. “The game is very important to us. I can’t wait to play.”
“It feels real good to get a big win tonight,” Oetting said. “It will feel a lot better Monday if we can come out with a win then, too.”
Kickapoo 59, Republic 49
REPUBLIC (49) — Ellison 1 0-0 3, Hagewood 9 2-2 23, Askew 6 1-2 14, Ebisch 2 0-0 6, Douglas 1 0-0 3.
KICKAPOO (59) — Oetting 6 4-8 20, Akins 1 0-1 2, Doenning 3 0-0 8, B. Shorter 8 1-2 19, Kimrey 0 1-2 1, J. Shorter 2 2-2 6, Keisker 1 0-1 3.
Republic 13 8 13 15 – 49
Kickapoo 22 10 12 15 – 59
3-point goals – Getting 4, Hagewood 3, B. Shorter 2, Doenning 2, Ebisch 2, Ellison, Askew, Douglas, Keisker.
