DRAFFENVILLE – Win number 20 didn’t come easy in the Lady Marshals 59-49 win over McCracken County who pressed the Lady Marshals the entire game, but when it came down to the final minutes of the game, the Lady Marshals made free throws and the Lady Mustangs didn’t.
“A lot of fouls, it was just an ugly game at the end but we were able to knock down free throws”, Head Coach Joseph Simmons said. “Free throws is what won that game. We had the ball in the right people’s hands. People that have the confidence to step up and knock them down.”
McCracken County led 4-0 to start the game, stretching that lead out to 8-2 before a basket by Lexee Miller and three from Briley English cut their lead to 10-7. Hannah Langhi came into the game for the first time in three games following an ankle injury suffered in the Christian County game and dropped in the Lady Marshals final basket of the first quarter to trail 13-9.
The Lady Marshals out-scored the Lady Mustangs 8-4 in the second quarter to tie the game 17-17 at halftime.
Up by one, early in the third quarter, Miyah Davis hit two straight threes to put the Lady Marshals up 26-19, followed by baskets from Langhi and Nikki Fehrenbacher to complete their 12-0 run and a 32-19 lead.
McCracken County followed that up with a 12-3 run to cut the Lady Marshals lead to 35-31 at then end of the third quarter, with a combined effort from Maddye Rice and MacKenzie Blackford.
McCracken’s Madelyn Kauffman hit a three to start the fourth quarter and cut the Lady Marshals lead to one. Kat Howard scored to make it a 37-34 game with Rice cutting the lead to one. Howard, English and Fehrenbacher added six straight points to stretch it out to 42-36 countered by Rice who scored McCracken’s next four to cut the Lady Marshals lead once again to two points.
With four minutes left to play, Davis scored three points on a basket and free throw and Fehrenbacher added two free throws to lead 49-40. From that point on it was a tale of which team could make free throws with the Lady Marshals hitting 10 of 12 while McCracken hit 2 of 9 attempts.
For the game, the Lady Marshals made 19 of 25 attempts at the free throw line, Fehrenbacher was 8 for 9 and English hit 6 of 6. Fehrenbacher led with 18 points, English added 12 and Miller led in rebounds with 8. Rice led McCracken County with 26 points.
SCORING
McCracken: Rice 26, Adams 6, Smith 5, Blackford 5, Kauffman 5, Rudy 2
Marshall: Fehrenbacher 18, English 12, Davis 9, Howard 8, Langhi 8, Miller 4
McCracken: Field Goals 19/46, 3-pointers 4/14, Free Throws 7/19, Rebounds 24, Fouls 21, Turnovers 18, Steals 16
Marshall: Field Goals 18/41, 3-pointers 4/12, Free Throws 19/25, Rebounds 37, Fouls 17, Turnovers 21, Steals 11
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | |
| McCracken | 13 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 49 |
| Marshall | 9 | 8 | 18 | 24 | 59 |
