In his post-game comments on WCBL, Head Coach Terry Birdsong said, “This year, with this team, with these guys…we don’t have to coach effort. They play as hard as they can.”
That effort Birdsong spoke of paid off, with a championship in the Campbellsville High School Holiday Classic after defeating Louisville Butler 44-39.
The Marshals earned the spot in the championship game with wins over Taylor County 73-53 and Madison Southern 72-53.
They trailed only three times, all early in the game following an opening basket by Butler and two straight three’s from senior Mershon Dickerson. Down 8-6, Kole Sedlock, who led the Marshals scoring with 14 points, tied the game up. Two straight baskets from Cole Mills gave the Marshals a 12-8 lead but the Bears finished out the quarter on a 4-0 run to cut the lead to 14-12.
Sedlock picked up his second foul early in the second quarter and headed to the bench with 10 points. Chavez Woods finished out the 3-point play at the line to pull the Bears to within one at 16-15. Wade Moore’s six points and a basket each by Quinn Smith and Hunter Wallace finished out the half on a 26-20 lead.
Holding Butler to four points in the third quarter, the Marshals took a 36-24 buffer into the final quarter.
Butler opened on a 12-0 run to tie the game 36-36 before the Marshals got to work and finished out the game 8-3 over the Bears. Mills gave them the lead at 38-36 with the first basket of the quarter to stop the run but it was tied again on a basket by Dickerson.
Tied 38-38, Moore, Mills and Sedlock finished out the five-point win.
Mills and Sedlock were selected to the All-Tournament team. Smith was named Most Valuable Player.
Marshall 14 12 10 8 – 44
Butler 12 8 4 15 – 39
Marshall: Sedlock 14, Mills 12, Moore 8, Schroader 4, Smith 4, Wallace 2
Butler: Dickerson 20, Davis 7, Woods, Williams 2, Johnson 2