There’s not much that’s more exciting in local high school basketball than an overtime 4th District Championship game and Thursday’s title game delivered to a packed Murray High Taylor Gymnasium.
With 2.6 seconds left in the game and down by three, Marshall County’s Logan Parker was fouled on his three-point attempt to tie. Parker stepped up to the line and calmly drained all three to send the game into overtime tied at 54.
The Marshals outscored the Tigers 8-5 in the four-minute overtime period to claim the program’s 25th district title and first in four years. Seniors Parker and Orrin Phelps cut the nets down for the first time in their basketball careers at Marshall County.
“They like the dramatics”, Head Coach Sawyer Donahoo said in post-game comments to WCBL of the Marshals late-game heroics. “They battle, they competed…they deserved this. They fought their butt off after we spotted them 10 points. They never quit. That’s what this group has shown throughout the whole season, that it doesn’t matter how much we get down, they believe in each other that they can come back and win.”
The 10-point lead for the Tigers came right after the opening tip. Murray’s size and pressure forcing Marshall County turnovers they turned into points. Kyzer Phillips dropped in a three pointer after entering the game which ended the run and they finished the quarter down 13-7.
Both teams scored 15 in the second quarter and the Murray lead remained at six at 28-22 heading to the locker room.
The third quarter belonged to Parker and Matthew Langhi who scored all 16 of the Marshals points while holding Murray to eight. Langhi with 10 and Parker’s six gave the Marshals a 38-36 lead heading into the fourth.
Phillips slipped through defenders for a nice lay in to put the Marshals up 41-38 in the fourth quarter, but a 7-0 Murray run followed and they took a four-point lead.
With 29.2 seconds remaining, the Marshals were down by seven at 54-47. Staples hit free throws, a goal tending call against Murray on a shot by Parker and four missed free throws by Murray’s Jeremiah Jones led to a 54-51 game with 5.4 left on the clock.
With possession and the length of the floor to go, Murray’s foul on Parker shooting the three to tie put the full house on the edge of their seats as Parker drained the first two. Murray called a timeout before the third and tying free throw, but nothing would rattle the senior as he stepped up and hit the third to send it into overtime.
Murray’s Zavion Carman scored first and it was tied up by Staples. Staples scored again to give the Marshals a 58-56 lead with a minute remaining. Huge free throws by Ryan Stokes and Langhi gave the Marshals a 61-56 lead before Lincoln English hit a three to trim the lead to two.
With 4.2 on the clock and the ball, a long pass downcourt to Staples resulted in a foul. He hit the second at the line leaving a glimmer of hope for the Tigers to attempt a tie at the buzzer that missed the mark.
“Our bench got us in the game”, Donohoo said of the start to the game. “Our first unit was kind of sluggish, tired. We went through a brutal game Tuesday night, and I know we were tired. Our bench came up, they played big, they were ready to play. They came in and kind of jump started us. I thought all four of the guys that came in the game contributed. We wouldn’t have won the game without all four of them.”
Both teams advance to next week’s First Region tournament. Marshall County High School is the site of the tournament draw which will be held on Saturday.
Marshall 7 15 16 16 – OT/8 – 62
Murray 13 15 8 18 – OT/5 – 59
Marshall (22-7): Matthew Langhi 20, Logan Parker 16, Alex Staples 10, Kyzer Phillips 5, Ryan Stokes 4, Tommy Robertson 3, Cash Henson 2, Kaden Mohler 2
Murray (23-9): Zavion Carman 20, Lincoln English 14, Drew May 12, Jeremiah Jones 9, Collin Wilson 4
All District Team
Marshall County: Matthew Langhi, Alex Staples
Murray: Zavion Carman, Lincoln English, Jeremiah Jones, Drew May
Calloway County: Jonah Butler, Eli Finley, Conner Lockhart
Christian Fellowship: Elijah Grigg
