DRAFFENVILLE – Very reminiscent of last season, the Marshals lost Tuesday to Cairo after leading by 13 points 63-61 and in 2016, the final results was 73-71.
“We were up 13 last year in the same type of game”, Head Coach Gus Gillespie said. “It was almost identical to the game last year. I thought our defense was bad from the first half on. This is a disappointing one. We just missed way too many easy shots around the rim and then we turned over the ball and didn’t rebound.”
The Marshals were out-rebounded 23-10 in the second half which Gillespie credited to Cairo’s hustle.
“Hats off to Cairo”, said Gillespie. “They came in here and wanted it more, played with more zest and excitement and I thought our guys were on their heels and didn’t play with a lot of emotion or energy.”
The Marshals took the early 14-12 first quarter lead, and stretched that lead out to 11 points at halftime behind 12 first half points from freshman Bryce Flatt, out-scoring Cairo 20-11 in the second quarter despite the best efforts of Dave Taylor who scored eight of Cairo’s 11 points.
Twenty-seven fouls were called in the first half, 15 on Cairo and 12 on the Marshals. Cairo was 1 of 9 from the free throw line, the Marshals 14 of 19 hitting 10 of 12 in the second quarter.
Houston Harvey’s basket to start the third quarter gave the Marshals their largest lead of the game at 36-23. Cairo cut the lead to seven but baskets by Dylan Walters and a 3-pointer from Aaron Reed stretched the lead back out to 13 at 43-31. Cairo out-scored the Marshals 7-3 from there to finish the quarter down 46-38.
Matt French scored to put the Marshals up by 10 to open the fourth quarter but that was followed by a 9-0 Cairo run to cut the lead to one. Reed dropped in the next four points for the Marshals for a five point lead, then tied up by Cairo 52-52 on free throws by Dave Taylor and a 3-pointer from Damarius Taylor.
With 50 second left on the clock, Dave Taylor’s three put the Pilots in the lead by two. A free throw by Lucas Nichols cut the lead to one and then back to two on a free throw by Malachi Brown. Dave Taylor gave Cairo a four point lead cut to two again on a basket by Reed.
With 18 second left in the game, Cairo turned the ball over on an in bounds pass which ended in a foul on Harvey who sank both at the line to tie the game 61-61 leaving just enough time for Cairo’s Dave Taylor to go the distance for the lay-in to give the Pilots the two point win.
The Marshals (9-4) will face Calloway County (9-5) in their first district game on Friday in a double header with the Lady Marshals.
SCORING
Cairo: Dave Taylor 23, Damarius Taylor 18, M Brown 13, J Brown 6, Nelson 2, Ward 1
Marshall: Flatt 15, Reed 13, Walters 8, Harvey 8, French 7, Nichols 4, Smith 4, Prange 2
Cairo: Field Goals 25/57, 3-pointers 6/20, Free Throws 7/17, Total Rebounds 41, Fouls 24, Assists 13, Turnovers 20
Marshall: Field Goals 19/50, 3-pointers 4/11, Free Throws 19/25, Total Rebounds 34, Fouls 20, Assists 8, Turnovers 19
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | |
| Cairo | 12 | 11 | 15 | 25 | 63 |
| Marshall | 14 | 20 | 12 | 15 | 61 |
