Marshals fall in fourth quarter to Blue Tornadoes

By Caitlin Wardlow
Tribune-Courier Reporter

PADUCAH – Despite out-rebounding what Marshall County’s head basketball coach Gus Gillespie calls the best rebounding team in the 1st Region, the Marshals fell to the Paducah Tilghman Blue Tornado 73-68 Friday night.

“Any time you out-rebound Tilghman, you’ve done something,” Gillespie said. “I’d say traditionally, year in and year out, they’re the best rebounding team in the region. So that says something about what our kids are doing, blocking out and doing some of those things. Bottom line is we gave them too many game-changing-type plays in the fourth quarter and that was the difference.”

The contest, however, didn’t start out with the Marshals giving up any game-changing plays.

Tilghman was on the scoreboard first when an early foul by Scott McKenty sent the Tornado to the free throw line to shoot two. After only on went in, Travis Spiceland made his first field goal of the night with less than a minute into the game.

Twenty seconds later, Spiceland made a steal from Tilghman and sank a three-point field goal.

The Tornado, down 5-1, made a quick field goal and went on a 10-2 run for the next five minutes. After two missed shots by Spiceland, Josh Madding hit a three-point field goal to bring the Marshals within one.

The Marshals entered the second quarter ahead 14-13 when a field goal by Tilghman’s Issac McClure pushed the Tornado ahead 15-14.

Two minutes into the second quarter, McClure fouled Logan Holland, who made one of his two free throws. Less than a minute later, Holland fouled Tony Hazard, who was able to make his field goal into a three-point play. Immediately after, McClure was called on a technical foul and Spiceland made one of two from the free throw line.

For two and a half minutes near the end of the first half, all six of the shots made by both teams were three-point field goals. Tilghman was 40 percent from behind the arc while MCHS was about 36 percent.

“If Tilghman is selective and shoots the ball well from the three-point line, which they did,” Gillespie said, “they’re a tough team to beat. It’s like it was two weeks ago, we both played well, we had a couple mistakes. We wanted other players to step up and make plays to beat us and they did.”

In the third quarter, the Marshals were down by as many as seven points and ahead by as many as three points when a three-pointer by McKenty with less than three minutes to go pushed them ahead 44-41.

With a minute and twenty seconds left in the third quarter, Spiceland made a big play after a Tilghman turnover. Then with three seconds left, Spiceland attempted a field goal, got his own rebound and shot again at the buzzer to put the Marshals ahead 48-45 at the end of the third quarter.

“[Spiceland] just plays well against them and they do a great job on him,” Gillespie said. “He makes shots against them, but at the same time, I want to know why Tilghman plays so well against us. I know Tilghman’s very talented, but it seems like we get the best when we play them.”

Friday night was the third and possibly final time the two teams will meet this season. Tilghman holds a 2-1 record over Marshall County.

Gillespie said their talent can be somewhat frustrating.

“They’re a very good team, but man they bring it against us,” Gillespie said. “And it’s just not one or two of them, it’s all of them. If they’re gonna make a play, they’re gonna make it against Marshall.”

The fourth quarter was left open for several game-chaning plays to be made against the Marshals.

In the first minute, the Tornado made a three-point field goal then stole the ball from the Marshals, made a basket and drew a foul on Stephen Barga.

The Marshals continued to foul in the fourth quarter; 13 of Tilghman’s 28 points made in the fourth quarter came from foul shots.

A three-point field goal by McKenty brought the Marshals within six points of the Tornadoes with 30 seconds left in the game.

Thirty seconds, however, was not enough time for the Marshals to come back and win it. Tilghman won the game 73-68.

Gillespie said he feels that the Marshals have had to bring their best game to Tilghman each time the two play.

“I take it as a huge compliment,” Gillespie said. “I don’t care what people think, I feel like they’re the most talented team in the region. I feel like when they’re on, they’re the best team in the region. And of course it’s a huge compliment to our kids. Hopefully we’ll have a fourth game against them.”

Paducah Tilghman 73, Marshall County 68
Friday @ Paducah

Marshall County 14 13 21 20
P. Tilghman 13 20 12 28

TEAM STATS
Shooting
Overall: MC 44.6% (25/56)
PT 50.9% (27/53)
3-pointers: MC 36.4% (8/22) PT 40% (4/10)
Free throws: MC 62.5% (10/16)
PT 57.7% (15/26)

Turnovers MC 15
PT 7
Rebounds: MC 41 (Holland 10)
PT 26 (McClure 13)
Assists: MC 11 (Holland/
McKenty 3)
PT 13 (Williams 6)
Blocks: MC 1
PT 2
Steals: MC 2 (Madding/
Holland 1)
PT 9
Fouls: MC 21
PT 15 (Technical -
McClure)
Fouled out: MC - none
PT - Perry

INDIVIDUAL STATS
MC: Dowdy 1-1 0-2 2; Spiceland 10-18 (2-5) 3-5 25; McKenty 6-16 (3-9) 2-2 17; Madding 4-7 (2-3) 1-1 11; York 2-6 (1-4) 5; Seay 1-3 1-2 3; Holland 1-2 3-4 5

PT: Williams 2-6 (1-3) 5; Coughenour 1-2 2; Wright 6-10 (1-2) 6-7 19; Hazard 6-9 (2-3) 2-3 16; Forrest 4-7 4-8 12; Perry 4-8 0-2 8; McClure 4-11 3-4 11