“Roles change and players have to evolve”, Head Coach Terry Birdsong said following the Marshals 58-49 loss to Webster County in Tuesday’s final regular season game, adding the team hasn’t evolved as much as he would like to see.
“We got off to a great start but the wheels started falling off in the third quarter against their zone”, Birdsong said.
An early 12-4 lead was closed to four points on a 6-0 run by Webster County but the Marshals finished out the quarter 8-2 to take an eight-point lead at 20-12 behind eight points from Kole Sedlock.
Four straight free throws from Hunter Wallace gave the Marshals a 10-point lead at 24-14 in the second quarter and they would hang on to lead by four at halftime.
Webster’s Deshawn Murphy dropped in a 3-pointer to tie the game 32 in the third quarter. Quinn Smith put the Marshals back up by two and the two squads would be knotted up two more times at 36 and 40 before the Trojans finished out the final five points of the quarter to lead 45-40.
Webster’s lead grew to 10 points, their largest in the game at 50-40. The Marshals cut it down to five on a 3-pointer by Schroader and basket by Smith but that’s as close as it would get. The Trojans outscored the Marshals 8-4 to finish out the nine-point win.
Smith led the Marshals with 18 points, scoring 14 in the second half. Murphy led the Trojans with 21 points.
“We need to shoot and guard better Saturday or we’ll be putting the balls up”, Birdsong said of the 4th District Tournament game against Calloway County. “It’s advance or we go home.”
The Marshals will tip off against the Lakers at 6:30 at Calloway County High School.
Marshall 20 6 14 9 – 49
Webster 12 10 23 13 – 58
Marshall (17-11): Smith 18, Mills 12, Sedlock 8, Schroader 5, Wallace 4, Moore 2
Webster (13-15): Murphy 19, Harmon 13, Nelson 10, Michalek 6, Duncan 3, Scott 3, Garrard 2, Baker 2
