In a thrilling overtime win over Graves County, the Lady Marshals won the First Region Championship for the first time in six years and the 23rd in program history. Tied 44-44 at the end of regulation, the Lady Marshals went up 51-50 in overtime and with four tenths of a second on the clock, Layne Pea was fouled and dropped in one of two at the free throw line for the 52-50 win.
The Lady Eagles took a 46-44 lead to open the overtime period, their first since 2-0 to start the game. Pea broke a 48-48 tie with a go-ahead 3-pointer to put the Lady Marshals up by three, cut to one on a basket by Callie Jackson who had a great night for Graves County with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Then the free throw from Pea sealed the win.
“She did the same thing against us last year when I was coaching at Graves”, Head Coach Aaron Beth said of Pea’s clutch three. “A huge three in overtime that gave them a lot of momentum. She stepped up and did it again.”
Beth said the win was a total team effort, “Especially to be up that much and then Graves had the momentum. Graves played a great second half…you’ve got to give them a lot of credit for fighting tooth and nail. They’re a great basketball team. They’ve been through some adversity obviously with Raychel (Mathis) being out.”
They will play Second Region champion Henderson County on Thursday at 1:30 in the KHSAA Girl’s Sweet Sixteen Basketball Tournament. Henderson County defeated Madisonville-North Hopkins 66-49 to advance to the state tournament. The Lady Marshals beat Henderson County 58-53 on Jan. 3.
Cayson Conner’s 26 points led the Lady Marshals on 8-of-14, was 10-of-12 at the free throw line and had three assists. Conner received the Joey Fosko Most Valuable Player award. Halle Langhi and Jada Driver joined Conner with All-Tournament Team honors.
“It’s awesome”, Conner said, “It’s such a great feeling. Obviously last year we came in second and we don’t forget how that feels. So it’s just awesome tonight to get the job done.”
Conner scored the first six points for a 6-2 lead and they held an 8-5 lead at the end of the first quarter. A basket by Callie Jackson cut the lead to one followed by a 5-0 run by the Lady Marshals to go up 13-7. Two threes from Langhi and Pea gave them a 10-point lead and they took their largest lead of 15 points at 24-9 after five straight points from Conner and led 24-11 at halftime.
Bailey Wilson dropped in a three in the third quarter for the Lady Eagles that trimmed the lead to nine points. The Lady Marshals stretched it back out to 15-points following a technical on Graves County Head Coach Brandon Fisher when Conner sank both technical shots and they held a 34-25 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Graves County chipped away at the Lady Marshals lead in the fourth quarter, fueled by shots beyond the arc from Jackson, Wilson and Chloe Dawson’s three that tied the game 42-42 with 35 seconds remaining. Conner dropped in two free throws for a 44-42 lead and Langhi’s fifth foul of the game sent Avery Myatt to the line who tied things up and send it to overtime.
With Langhi going to the bench with five fouls and Jada Driver out with an injury, Beth was proud of the play of Mia Teague and Neely Northcott along with Conner, Pea and Jezik saying, “They have been solid for me all year, are just great, great kids and solid players and I couldn’t be more happy for them to get to experience what winning a regional tournament is like.”
“They played their role like they needed to for us to get the win”, Beth said. “You know it was one of those games where it was tight, you have a big lead then the other team comes back…it’s hard to keep you’re composure and go ahead and finish it out. But our girls are like that. They’re smart, they’re coach-able, they’re super nice girls and a great group to work with. I’m just so proud for them to be able to get this regional championship.”
Beth, who is familiar with the Rupp Arena experience…as a player and as a coach, said of Thursday’s game against Henderson County, “We’re going to see what we can do. We’ve beat them once this year, they’re playing better…we’re playing better…so it should be a good match-up Thursday in Rupp Arena.”
Beth added that it was a dream come true to win a regional tournament where he has spent thousands of hours on the sideline saying, “There’s no place I’m more comfortable than on the bench at Marshall County.”
Marshall County 8 24 34 44 52/OT
Graves County 5 11 25 44 50/OT
Scoring
Marshall County: Cayson Conner 26, Halle Langhi 17, Layne Pea 7, Mia Teague 2
Graves County: Callie Jackson 21, Bailey Wilson 10, Chloe Dawson 6, Avery Myatt 5, Nealey Jackson 5, Ellie Carter 3
Marshall County: FG 18/38, 3 Pt 3/12, FT 13/17, Reb 21, Ast 11, TO 17, PF 14
Graves County: FG 16/50, 3 Pt 5/20, FT 13/17, Reb 35, Ast 5, TO 17, PF 17
