Sophomores Halle Langhi and Jada Driver led the Lady Marshals in scoring in Tuesday’s season-opener against Goreville, Ill. Langhi scored 17 points and Driver 15 in the 62-42 win over a team that advanced to the Illinois State Sectionals last season and was off to a 4-0 start before dropping their first game to the Lady Marshals.
Payton Sopczak scored the first basket of the game to give Goreville the early lead and it would be the only time in the game the Blackcats would be up on the Lady Marshals who scored the next 17 straight points before Sopczak found the basket again for Goreville. The Lady Marshals took a 21-8 lead at the end of the quarter, led by Langhi with eight points.
Presley Jezik opened the second quarter with a pair of free throws, followed by a 3-pointer from Driver and basket by Mia Teague to lead 28-10. The lead grew to 40-15 before Goreville finished out the half on a 7-0 run to trail 40-22 at halftime.
Kelsey Ray dropped in a three for Goreville to open the second half, cutting the Lady Marshals lead to 15 points. A 3-pointer by Layne Pea and bucket by Langhi stretched the lead back out to 20 but five more points from Goreville by Sopczak and Ray made it a 15 point game once again, the Lady Marshals going up by 18 with a score of 54-36 to end the third quarter.
Driver scored to start the fourth quarter with a 20 point lead and they would hang on to win by 20, getting points from Teague, Maddie Darnall and Georgia Hall to close out the game.
The Lady Marshals will play Russellville (1-0) Thursday at 7:00 in the first of two Hoopfest games and Saturday at noon they will play Anna-Jonesboro, Ill (3-2).
Goreville 8 22 36 42
Marshall 21 40 54 62
Scoring
Goreville: Sopczak 15, Ray 10, Martin 8, Licka 7, King 2
Marshall: Langhi 17, Driver 15, Pea 9, Jezik 7, Conner 6, Teague 4, Darnall 2, Hall 2
