Since 1999, Marshall County had seven straight wins over Caldwell County before the Tigers broke that streak with a win in the Jan. 8 Western Kentucky Showcase. The Tigers won 58-52 behind 34 points from leading scorer, senior Jabrion Spikes. Tuesday, the Marshals earned the split with 52-49 win while holding Spikes to 20 points.
Kole Sedlock and Trey Wall opened the Marshall County scoring with 3-pointers for a 6-2 lead before the next seven by the Tigers duo of Spikes and Xavier Bumphus gave Caldwell their first lead at 9-8, the start of a combined 23 ties and lead changes in the game.
Trailing 18-15, Quinn Smith’s shot beat the buzzer to draw the Marshals to within one heading into the second quarter.
Defensive efforts kicked into high gear in the second quarter, shutting down the scoring on both sides, the Marshals outscoring the Tigers by one point to tie the game 23-23 at halftime.
Wall put the Marshals on top out of the half which Spikes followed with a 3-pointer to give the Tigers the lead back. Wade Moore tied it, Smith scored the go-ahead basket and it was knotted up again at 29. Trailing by one, Colby Schroader dropped in a buzzer-beater three to put the Marshals back up 36-34.
The Marshals took their largest lead of the game at 44-38 in the fourth quarter on a three by Wall and three-point play from Smith, but it was short-lived with the Tigers closing it back up and tying at 47-47 on free throws from Spikes with 2:20 remaining. Spikes toed the line again to put the Tigers back up by two before a timely three by Schroader gave the Marshals the lead at 50-49.
Schroader followed his three by intercepting a Caldwell pass which resulted in a foul. He made one at the line for a two-point lead with 7.9 left on the clock. Spikes tied it with 1.1 left but it was called off for traveling and the game finished out on a free throw from Sedlock.
Schroader’s 16 points led three Marshals finishing in double figures. Wall scored 11 points and Wade Moore had 10. Smith finished with nine and his effort on Spikes held the Caldwell leading scorer to 11 points below his average.
Improving to 15-8, the Marshals will finish out the week on Thursday with a home game against Trigg County and at Christian Fellowship on Friday.
Marshall 17 6 13 16 – 52
Caldwell 18 5 11 15 – 49
Marshall: Schroader 16, Wall 11, Moore 10, Smith 9, Sedlock 6
Caldwell: Spikes 20, Bumphus 13, Thompson 7, Vivrette 5, Whittington 4
