As the regular season draws closer to an end and the 4th District Tournament just around the corner, each district game holds great importance. Marshall County and Murray played their first of two regular season district games on December 13 with the Marshals taking a 59-45 win but on Tuesday, Murray earned the season split with a 63-50 win.
A win over Calloway County on Friday would give the Marshals a district split with the Lakers and set up a three-way tie for the number one district tournament seed. Either way, the Marshals road to the district title game and regional tournament will run through Murray or Calloway County in their opening round game.
Trailing 8-2 to the Tigers early, the Marshals spent much of the first quarter trying to close the gap. Murray’s 17-13 lead at the end of the quarter was fueled by three-pointers from Collin Wilson with two and one from Kobe Watson.
Wade Moore’s three-pointer that ended the first quarter was followed by a basket to open the second by Orrin Phelps that cut the Murray lead to two points. The Tigers went back up by seven before the Marshals cut it back to four again, gaining some momentum before Moore was called for an offensive charge and picked up his third foul. Murray led 32-23 at halftime.
Down seven in the third quarter, Alex Staples was fouled on a three-point attempt and hit all three free throws to draw the Marshals to within four at 38-34 and they held that margin going into the fourth quarter trailing 43-39.
Hunter Wallace sank a three to cut the Murray lead down to three points early in the fourth but that’s as close as it would get. The Tigers outscored the Marshals 20-11 in the final quarter, making 12 trips the free throw line and converting on nine in the 13-point win.
Marshall County 13 10 16 11 – 50
Murray 17 15 11 20 – 63
Marshall County (18-8): Wade Moore 16, Hunter Wallace 9, Chase Binkley 8, Alex Staples 7, Trey Wall 4, Tommy Robertson 3, Orrin Phelps 2, Logan Parker 1
Murray (14-8): Collin Wilson 17, Grant Whitaker 10, Zavion Carman 9, Lincoln English 9, Jeremiah Jones 7, Kobe Watson 7, Drew May 4
Marshall County: FT 13/18, 3PT 3 (Wallace 2, Moore)
Murray: FT 16/22, 3PT 5 (Wilson 3, Watson, Jones)
