In the final game of the 2024 Hoopfest, Marshall County and Battle Ground Academy from Franklin, Tenn. took the floor. The game was a good one to close out the annual event and the first early season test for the Marshals that they passed with flying colors, beating the Wildcats 71-58 to sweep their Hoopfest games and improve to 3-0.
Matthew Langhi led four Marshals in double figures with 19 points along with eight rebounds to earn the Game MVP selection. Kyzer Phillips had 16 points and eight rebounds. Alex Staples and Tommy Robertson each finished the night with 12 points.
A 3-pointer from Phillips, who led the Marshals with eight first quarter points, put them in front of Battle Ground 7-6. The Wildcats took a 10-7 lead on a basket by Greyson Williams who went on to scored 32 points in the game.
Two straight baskets by Staples put the Marshals back on top 11-10, a lead they would not relinquish but had to battle to maintain. The first quarter scoring for the Marshals was closed out on threes from Phillips and Langhi to take a 19-14 lead.
Staples put the Marshals up 21-14 to start the second only to be answered with a three from Williams who scored all 10 of the Wildcats points in the quarter. A technical foul called on Battle Ground’s Landen Moore sent Carson Lovett to the free throw line. Lovett hit one of the two shots that fueled a Marshall County 10-2 run that stretched the lead out to 31-19.
Phillips put a punctuation mark on his impressive first half play, scoring the final four points to give the Marshals a 38-24 halftime lead.
The Wildcats outscored the Marshals 17-13 in the third quarter, getting three more players in the scoring column not named Williams, to trim the lead to 10 at 51-41. Langhi led the Marshals with four, the start of a 12-point half for the sophomore.
Langhi battled his way to the goal for the first two buckets of the fourth quarter and dropped in a free throw to maintain the 10-point lead. The combined scoring of Langhi, Ryan Stokes, Staples, Phillips and Robertson in the closing minutes sealed the 71-58 win.
The Marshals will head to Carlisle County for their next game on Tuesday, then play at McCracken County on Thursday in a double header with the Lady Marshals.
Marshall County 19 38 51 71
Battle Ground 14 24 41 58
Marshall County: Matthew Langhi 19, Kyzer Phillips 16, Alex Staples 12, Tommy Robertson 12, Ryan Stokes 6, Neyland Jezik 3, Carson Lovett 3
Marshall County: FG 28/52, 3PT 6/12 (Phillips 2, Robertson 2, Langhi 1, Jezik 1), REB 40 (Stokes 9, Langhi 8, Phillips 8) PF 11, AST 11
Battle Ground: Greyson Williams 32, Jake Harney 10, Lawson Gillispie 8, Jack DuPerrieu 6, Dixon Adams 2
Battle Ground: FG 21/56, 3PT 10/28, FT 6/11, REB 26, PF 16, AST 7
Marshals vs. Battle Ground Academy, Marshall County Hoopfest
