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Patriots start 5-0 By BARRY BURLESON
Editor  | Photo by Barry Burleson
Getting a Hawk airborne
Aaron McAlexander of Marshall looks to score in the paint versus Myrtle. |
The Marshall Academy Patriots went four-for-four last week, the most exciting being an overtime win at home over Myrtle. MA
was up eight at the half and built as much as a 19-point lead in the
third quarter before blowing it. But they got saved by a “slip” at the
end of regulation and won 74-69 in the extra period Tuesday, Nov. 9, at
home. The Pats led 49-38 after three quarters.
Then they went cold while the Hawks caught fire. Myrtle took a 64-62
lead on a bucket and free throw with 14 seconds to go in regulation.
Marshall then turned the ball over. On the in-bounds pass from
underneath the Patriot goal, the Hawks’ intended pass recipient slipped
and MA’s Brad Bennett got the ball, shot and hit the short jumper to
knot the game at 64 and send it to OT. Bennett,
who finished with 18 points, hit a big three in overtime. Jordan Brock
cashed in a three-point play the old-fashioned way. Mitch Gholson
nailed two free throws with 14 seconds left to nail down the five-point
victory. Brock and Chase Ferrell had 12 points each for Marshall. Kevin Fitzpatrick added 10. The Lady Patriots fell 64-42 to Myrtle, ranked second in the state in public schools Class A. MA,
trailing 30-17 at the half, actually sliced the deficit to six in the
third period. But the Lady Hawks pulled away for the 22-point win.  | Photo by Barry Burleson
Lady Patriot vs. Lady Hawk
Marshall’s Callie Clanton drives against a Myrtle player. |
Callie Clanton led Marshall with 20 points. Elizabeth Skelton had 11. Myrtle’s star player, Aspriona Gilbert, scored a game-high 29. Monday, Nov. 8 The Marshall girls had no trouble with visiting Tunica Academy – winning 64-22. The lead was 31-13 at halftime. Three Lady Pats scored in double digits – Emma Elgin with 15, Clanton with 14 and Lane Cunningham with 12. A balanced attack paced the Marshall boys to a 63-53 win over the West Tennessee Christian Gryphons in the nightcap Monday. Nine Patriots scored. Leading the way was Taylor Maurey with 15. MA led 31-23 at the half. Marshall vs. Marvell The Patriots eased to a 71-32 win Thursday night at Marvell, Ark. Vince Hoyt scorched the net with five threes, three of those in the first quarter, and finished with 15 points. The lead was 31-8 after one quarter and 52-16 at the half. Nine Pats scored. Ferrell added 11. The
Lady Patriots led 10-4 midway through the first quarter. But it was all
Marvell after that as the cold-shooting MA girls scored only 15 more
points the rest of the game. The Lady Eagles
rallied to go up 20-14 at the half and stretched the advantage to 30-18
after three periods. The final score was 46-25. Kelsey Shaw and Clanton had 12 points each for Marshall. “The
girls have a tough schedule and this week was no different,” coach
Craig Dailey said. “We just have to keep battling and remember that all
these games will help get us ready for our district opponents. We are
still 0-0 in dist and those will be the ones that matter.” MA boys-Lewisburg The
Pats let Lewisburg, a Class 4A public school, hang around in the first
half Saturday afternoon but pulled away for a 30-point win. The two teams met in the “Crossover Classic” played at Oxford High School. Every
Marshall player scored in the 61-31 victory. In double figures were
Maurey with 16, Fitzpatrick with 12 and Aaron McAlexander with 10. The Patriots’ biggest lead of the first half was seven. They were up 28-23 at the break. But
MA came out of the locker room determined and turned the contest into a
rout. The 11-deep Pats outscored Lewisburg 33-8 in the second half. “The
boys are 5-0 with this early schedule and it’s a great start, but no
time to come up for air yet,” Dailey said. “We have another tough week
ahead. It is a challenge to find our chemistry with the football boys
added, but the only way to do that is to play through it and find who
we are. The boys are extremely excited and seem ready to ‘circle the
wagons’ as we take on the challenges of these next two weeks.” Schedule The
Patriots (5-0) and Lady Patriots (4-3) hosted Hickory Flat Tuesday.
They participate in the Pine Grove Tournament Thursday and Saturday
nights – at 6 (girls) and 7:30 (boys). Next Monday, Nov. 22, they go to
Myrtle, and next Tuesday, Nov. 23, they host Oak Hill. |
