An emotional return to the court following the tragic events of January 23rd was made a bit easier by the huge crowd that filled Reed Conder Gymnasium with a sea of orange and blue. A game of basketball, that even if just for a little while, brought cheers, smiles and even laughter in another step toward healing.
In support of Marshall County, Livingston Central players warmed up in “We are Marshall” t-shirts, the cheerleaders wore the same t-shirts and their fans were dressed in orange and blue. Students were on hand from several local schools wearing orange and blue and holding posters of support.
“The biggest thing I told them is you’re playing for your high school, your community, your teammates”, Head Coach Martin Clapp said. “Yes we wanted to win, but there’s a lot more important things than basketball. It was emotional for all of us…it’s just been a tough week.”
Playing a good Livingston Central team that came into the game with a record of 12-10, the Lady Marshals led from start to finish to win 50-30 and improve to 11-6. They were led by Tera Colson with 23 points in one of her best games this season.
Colson scored the opening three of the game and went on to score nine points in the first quarter to give the Lady Marshals a 14-9 lead. Nine second quarter points was highlighted by a three just before the buzzer by Cayson Conner for a 23-13 halftime lead.
Colson opened the second half like she did the first, dropping in a 3-pointer to put the Lady Marshals up by 13. Threes by both Hailey Stafford and Gracie Downey in the third quarter were part of their highest scoring quarter of the game with 11, but the Lady Marshals out-scored them by five to lead 39-24 going into the fourth.
Conner, Colson, Whitnee Miller, Kinley Edwards and Carlen Whirley combined for 11 fourth quarter points for the 20 point win.
Clapp thought his team was resilient and came out and played well in a great atmosphere of support saying, “I’m just proud of them. It was tough playing tonight.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | Final | |
| Livingston | 9 | 13 | 24 | 30 |
| Marshall | 14 | 23 | 39 | 50 |
SCORING
Livingston: Stafford 8, Padon 8, Davidson 5, Wring 4, Downey 3, Dudley 2
Marshall: Colson 23, Conner 10, Edwards 6, Miller 4, Pea 2, Bridges 6
Livingston: FG 10/36, 3 PT 3/15, FT 7/17, Reb 33, Fouls 12, Ast 7, TO 17
Marshall: FG 21/50, 3 PT 3/8, FT 5/13, Reb 33, Fouls 16, Ast 8, TO 8
