Bekemeier's big night vaults Republic to White Division championship
Republic senior Hope Schatz cradled a silver-coated basketball as she gleefully sang alongside teammate Kaemyn Bekemeier outside of the Tigers' locker room.
They took turns holding their latest trophy while belting a few lyrics − "All I do is win, win, win, no matter what!" by DJ Khaled − that conveyed Republic's run through its Pink and White Lady Classic bracket.
The second-seeded Tigers dispatched No. 1 seed Grain Valley 59-48 in the White Division championship at O'Reilly Event Center on Friday, their third tournament title four weeks.
Bekemeier, a prized Missouri State recruit, led the charge.
The sweet-shooting senior capped off a virtuoso four-game stretch by scoring 30 points in the Republic triumph.
Bekemeier, who averaged 23 points in tournament play, did most of her damage in the second half to help the Tigers pull away from the Kansas City-area school and bring home their first Pink and White Tournament title since 2012.
When the final horn sounded, Republic displayed the sort of elation often reserved for a state tournament game.
A day after ending a five-game losing streak to Class 6 power Kickapoo in the semifinals, Friday's win over a state-ranked Grain Valley squad with one of the best players in the Midwest — Mizzou recruit Grace Slaughter — gave Republic a taste of March.
"We knew they were going to be good, so it was awesome to see so many (Republic) fans in the crowd," said Bekemeier, who has scored 1,900 career points. "...It was cool to have that atmosphere."
Republic, which led 27-24 at halftime, didn't start to pull away until late in the third quarter following Schatz and Bekemeier 3-pointers that gave the Tigers their first double-digit lead of the night.
A collective defensive effort was also key for the Tigers, who held the 6-foot-2 forward Slaughter (10 points) scoreless in the fourth quarter.
Bekemeier took her defensive assignment against the longer Slaughter — an AAU teammate and friend — to heart.
"We wanted to keep the ball out of her hands to the best of our ability. She's good," Bekemier said. "And I think we pulled that off."
Slaughter was also impressed with Republic's defense.
"They did a good job guarding," Slaughter said. "They were able to help off (the ball), and at times we wanted to hit that backside layup. We hit some shots, but not everything fell."
Slaughter, who averaged more than 20 points in the previous tournament games, enjoyed the challenge of facing Bekemeier in a matchup between state-ranked Class 6 squads.
"It felt different being on opposite sides of the floor," said Slaughter, a top 100 recruit in the 2023 class. "But I love playing against great teams, and that's exactly what this tournament brought. It was a lot of fun."
Republic also kept Grain Valley away from the free-throw line, limiting the Eagles to three attempts. Republic hit 13 of 16 of its free-throw tries.
White Division trophy games
Championship: No. 2 Republic 59 vs. No. 1 Grain Valley 48
Third-place game: No. 4 Cabot 58, No. 3 Kickapoo 56
Fifth-place game: No. 5 Strafford 61, Glendale 48
Consolation championship: Parkview 55, Thayer 48
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: White Division: Republic wins Pink and White title
