Lady Marshals turn corner against Calloway in region final
First round of Sweet 16 a rematch with Louisville Butler
By Justin McGill
Tribune-Courier Managing Editor
jmcgill@tribunecourier.com
MURRAY – In the 2007 1st Region Championship, eighth-grader Margaret Thomas missed a buzzer-beater that would have sent the Lady Marshals to the Sweet 16. In the 2008 title game, freshman Thomas didn’t miss any shots.
Her 16 points and six assists helped land Thomas the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award and was pivotal in Marshall County’s 61-48 win Saturday over Calloway County.
“It’s always been in the back of my mind,” Thomas said of her 2007 miss. “I try to push it aside. This year was fresh.”
MCHS head coach Howard Beth said he always expects a high level of production from his point guard, and with junior Jordan Gilland missing almost the entire regular season, Thomas was thrust into the starting position early.
“She really struggled with herself for a while,” Beth said. “After Jordan came back, it relaxed her to the point that she played much better. She didn’t have all that pressure on her all the time, and that allowed her to go play her game. She’s gotten better, but she’s still just a freshman, so she’s going to get better and smarter.”
A few times in the first half, Thomas drove to the lane and found herself open for a jump shot, and that helped alleviate the team’s scoring woes while leading scorer Jessica Holder was off to a slow start.
“I’ve had those shots open all season, and they left me open, so I took them,” Thomas said. “They were off of great passes and other people creating opportunities.”
Holder, who scored only 10 points in Marshall’s semifinal win Friday over Graves County, had only two points at halftime.
“She struggled two straight nights,” Beth said. “She wasn’t moving her feet, and she’s not a big, physical post player. She finally got a good rhythm and made several good plays that were very important.”
Holder finished with a game-high 24 points as her teammates were able to get her the ball more frequently and she was able to make moves and get to the basket, setting herself up for three-point play opportunities four times.
In the end, however, it was the Lady Marshal defense that made the difference.
With both teams shooting well from the field – MCHS at 54.1 percent, Calloway at 50 – ball-handling became key. The Lady Marshals turned the ball over 14 times – three below their season average – while forcing 20 Calloway miscues and scoring 22 points off the errors. Senior forward Ashley Smith had a game-high six of Marshall’s 11 steals.
“We actually got some breaks,” Beth said. “They made some turnovers, and we took advantage. Every time we’ve played, it’s been a game of spurts.”
Also important for MCHS was the play of the bench. With Hannah Ellis in early foul trouble, the Lady Marshals got quality first-half minutes from freshmen Lena Bohannon and Kelsey Lawson, as well as freshmen regulars Thomas and Laken Tabor.
“They had to be out there a lot,” Beth said. “We had three or four freshmen on the floor at one time. All of our kids played within themselves tonight.”
The play of Bohannon was particularly key in helping keep Calloway center Rachel Adams away from the basket.
“We did a good job of putting pressure on her, even with Hannah out of the game,” Beth said.
On a four-game losing streak against Calloway – last year’s region final, this season’s two regular season games and the 4th District Championship – Thomas said playing within the system was key for the Lady Marshals.
“It’s been neck-and-neck every game we’ve played,” Thomas said. “It’s a team sport, and we definitely played as a team tonight.”
The Lady Marshals will play at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday against 6th Region champion Louisville Butler. MCHS lost to Butler in the Louisville Invitational Tournament earlier this season.
“They were just better than we were,” Beth said of his team’s 60-26 loss to Butler on Feb. 1. “We can play them closer than we did the first time. They’re awful quick.”
Butler is led by Tia Gibbs, who scored 18 points against MCHS and had 16 points in Sunday’s 6th Region Championship win over Louisville Iroquois. Gibbs scored the game-winning basket of the 49-47 victory.
Despite the tough obstacle waiting for the Lady Marshals, Thomas said the pressure is off.
“It’s gonna be hard, but we’re glad we’ve made it this far,” Thomas said. “It’s all fun now.”
Marshall County 61,
Calloway County 48
Saturday @ Murray
Marshall County 13 11 13 24 Calloway County 8 14 18 8
TEAM STATS
Shooting
Overall: MC 54.1% (20/37)
CC 50% (17/34)
3-pointers: MC 25% (3/12) CC 50% (2/4)
Free throws: MC 85.7% (18/21)
CC 80% (12/15)
Turnovers MC 14
CC 20
Rebounds: MC 20 (Smith 6) CC 18 (Fields 6)
Assists: MC 10 (Thomas 6) CC 8 (Butts 3)
Blocks: MC 4 (Holder 3)
CC 1 (Cunningham 1)
Steals: MC 11 (Smith 6)
CC 6 (Butts 3)
Fouls: MC 17
CC 19
Fouled out: MC - Ellis
CC - none
