For the second straight year, Marshall County advances to the Mercy Health Region 1 Tournament Championship after defeating Paducah Tilghman 79-63. It was a Region 1 Tournament semifinal rematch – the Marshals edging out the Blue Tornado last season 63-57 – going on to win the region title over McCracken County.
Marshall County won the two regular season battles over Paducah Tilghman by scores of 77-67 and 72-61 and Saturday’s afternoon matinee was set up to be yet another hard-fought win.
“Another two games back-to-back where we’ve been really focused on the defensive end”, Head Coach Sawyer Donohoo said in post-game comments to WCBL’s Jeff Waters about the win.
Donohoo was pleased with the offensive effort, especially from beyond the arc saying, “When the 3-ball is going in for us we’re pretty hard to beat.”
The Marshals wasted no time making their presence felt from long range, drilling six three-pointers in the opening quarter. Matthew Langhi hit the first, followed by back-to-back threes from Kyzer Phillips. The Blue Tornado kept pace early with three-pointers from Ahmad Wilkins, Miles Woodfork, and Owen Mikal.
A deep shot from Neyland Jezik put the Marshals up 17-16, but Paducah Tilghman briefly regained the lead before Phillips drained his third three of the quarter, giving Marshall County a 20-18 edge at the break.
The second quarter featured multiple ties and lead changes as both teams battled for control. Jezik’s third three-pointer pushed the Marshals ahead 35-30, and free throws from Langhi gave them their largest lead of the half at 39-32. However, Woodfork and Wilkins responded with quick buckets to cut the deficit to three. Marshall County entered halftime with a 41-36 advantage.
A basket by Ryan Stokes opened the second half scoring, followed by the duo of Woodfork and Wilkins to trim it back to three points. Seven straight points from Langhi gave the Marshals a 10-point lead at 50-40 prompting a time out from Paducah Tilghman Head Coach Greg Overstreet.
Marshall County went on to extend their lead out to 13 points twice before taking a 58-48 lead into the final frame.
Phillips set in motion a great fourth quarter for the Marshals, hitting his fourth 3-pointer to tie their largest lead of 13 points once again. Four straight free throws from Langhi widened the gap to 67-52, and back-to-back baskets from Jezik pushed the advantage to 19 points—the largest of the game.
Phillips scored six of the Marshals last eight points to finish out the 79-63 win and secure the spot in Sunday’s championship. He finished with 22 points and earned Player of the Game honors for his performance.
The Marshals will meet Calloway County at the CFSB Center on Sunday with a trip to Rupp Arena on the line. Calloway County advanced to the title game after defeating Mayfield 42-26.
Marshall County 20 41 58 79
Paducah Tilghman 18 36 48 63
Marshall County (29-2): Matthew Langhi 28, Kyzer Phillips 22, Neyland Jezik 17, Ryan Stokes 6, Tommy Robertson 4, Kaden Mohler 2
Marshall County: 3PT 11 (Phillips 4, Jezik 3, Langhi 3, Robertson 1), FT 18/22 (Langhi 13/16)
Paducah Tilghman (17-12): Miles Woodfork 26, Ahmad Wilkins 16, Joshua Campbell 10, Owen Mikel 5, Antwon McClure 3, Avery Thompson 2, Jemarion Purdiman 1
Paducah Tilghman: 3PT 5 (Woodfork 2, Mikel, McClure, Wilkins), FT 10/12 (Woodfork 4/5)
