Republic star Ahlante Askew's heroics help Tigers top Hartville in OT to advance to Blue title game
Needing a 3 to force overtime with just over eight seconds remaining, Republic coach Tim Brown called a timeout and told star senior Ahlante Askew to drive down the lane and kick it out to an open teammate.
That didn't happen.
Askew, who has been among the best players in southwest Missouri since he started as a freshman, knew in his head that he would be the one shooting the ball. If he got a little bit of space, he would let it go from wherever he was on the court.
With time ticking down, Askew took the ball up the court, found a little bit of space and sank a 3 at the buzzer from deep inside the big Bear-head logo on the Great Southern Bank Arena floor to force overtime.
"I told myself that I wasn't letting it go," Askew laughed. "I hit a big shot."
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The shot propelled Republic to a thrilling 51-45 overtime win over Hartville to advance to the Blue Division championship. The Tigers will play Sparta at 7 p.m. in Great Southern Bank Arena on Thursday.
"Our program is very fortunate to play in a lot of big games and (Askew) has been a huge part of that," Brown said. "It's been awesome to see him grow. He has as good of a feel as any player and that's what makes him so good. I'm glad he decided to keep it and bail us out on that one because he did."
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Askew finished the game with 22 points with eight of his points coming in the fourth quarter. The Eagles led for much of the fourth quarter and led by as many as four with 1:20 remaining.
He also hit a 3 to begin overtime which tied the game with 3:17 remaining. Jordan Douglas later hit a trio of free throws with 1:27 left to give the Tigers a lead they wouldn't give back.
"Everyone's stepped up well," Askew said. "Guys weren't used to filling some roles last year and our shooters have stepped up. Our big men didn't have much varsity experience and they were able to pull through."
Askew's rise to being one of the best players in the Ozarks was something many saw coming since his freshman year in a Tigers uniform. Known for his athleticism, Askew has been a pest defensively and has a great feel for when he should pull up, kick it out to a teammate or drive to the bucket.
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An argument could be made that he's been the best player in the Ozarks with the team now 8-1 and its lone loss coming to Springdale (Arkansas). The Tigers have wins over Bolivar, Hillcrest, Blair Oaks and Rolla among others. He's been the main reason why while putting up big numbers each time he steps on the floor.
It's no surprise to a coach who has watched his growth since his freshman year while playing alongside current Southwest Baptist guard Drew McMillin. It's now Askew's team as he joins a long list of great Republic standouts over the years.
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"He puts us in a position to win sometimes, even last year when we had a depleted roster," Brown said. "It's neat to see good things happen to him and our program because a lot of our kids were put in tough positions last year and they did such a good job at fighting for our program's standard and our program's culture and making sure we didn't take steps backward."
Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or Twitter at @WyattWheeler_NL. He's also the co-host of Sports Talk on Jock Radio weekdays from 4-6 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Blue and Gold: Republic in Blue title game after thriller vs. Hartville
