MA girls district champs

It was a tough environment for the Marshall Acade­my Lady Patriots Saturday but they were up to the task.

Coach Traci Rodgers’ team snatched the District 1-AA trophy on the opponent’s home court as they stymied Carroll Academy 34-22.

“The girls handled the pressure really well,” Rodgers said. “They kept their cool under a lot of commotion and knocked down some big shots. Our defense made Carroll very hesitant.”

It was the fifth straight district crown for the MA girls, the first under Rodgers.

The first half was pretty much a defensive war. Neither offense could get on track.

Alexis McGreger drilled a three in the first minute to put Marshall up 3-0.

The lead was 5-4 after one quarter, and the game was tied at 10 at intermission.

The Lady Patriots pulled away in the third. Kaylan Parks hit a couple of big shots and Julia Nicholson drilled a pair of threes. MA had upped the lead to 20-11 with 4:04 to go in the third.

The advantage was 25-11 entering the fourth when Peyton Stephenson sank a long-range shot.

Alexis McGreger sealed the deal for Marshall by calmly hitting four straight free throws in the last minute.

McGreger and Nicholson led the way with 11 points each.

The Lady Patriots had crushed Winona Christian 53-17 in the district semi-finals on Thursday.

Jessica Deming’s three pushed the lead to 9-1 at the end of the first quarter.

Parks scored off an assist from McGreger to stretch the lead to 20-4 late in the second quarter. It was 20-7 at the half.

Nicholson started the third with a three and a two. The advantage quickly stretched to 26-10 and it kept on building.

At the 2:06 mark, Erin Lomenick’s steal and basket made it 37-12.

The Lady Pats led by 28 at the end of the third (40-12) and went on to win by 36.

Scoring in double digits were Nicholson with 13, McGregor with 11 and Lomenick with 10.

Named to the all-tourney team were Nicholson, McGreger, Deming and Stevenson.

The Lady Patriots (18-6) met Tri-County Tuesday in the opening round of the North AA Tournament at Benton Academy. The semi-finals and finals will be held Friday and Saturday. The top four teams advance to state next week at Brookhaven Academy.

Marshall boys

The MA boys, top-seeded in the tourney, were stunned 44-35 by fourth-seeded and host Carroll in the district semi-finals Thursday.

The Rebels got an early lead and slowed the pace of the game.

The Patriots trailed 12-8 after one quarter. They tied the game at 14 in the second period but couldn’t get over the hump.

They were down 22-16 at halftime and 31-24 after three quarters.

In the fourth, the Patriots’ high-pressure, trapping defense reaped dividends. They cut the deficit to four under the 2:00 mark.

But they couldn’t get any closer and Carroll nailed some free throws in the closing seconds to win by nine.

Drayton Potts was the leading scorer for Marshall. He had 11, including three threes.

Coach Sam Pearson’s squad bounced back Saturday to knock off Central Holmes 38-33 and claim third place in the district.

The Patriots took a 4-0 lead on back-to-back buckets from Tyler Bolden.

The game was tied at 8 after one quarter, and the Patriots fell behind 17-16 at halftime.

Midway through the third, Everette Jones cashed in consecutive shots to put MA up 24-22.

However, the contest was knotted at 28 at the conclusion of the third.

Early in the fourth, Eli Pearson hit a three and cashed in a lay-up after a steal by Bolden. It was 33-28.

Central Holmes climbed back to within three (36-33) with 36 seconds left.

Bolden then stepped to the line with 23 seconds remaining and sank a pair of free throws to secure the win.

Jones and Pearson, both named to the all-tourney team, were the top scorers with 10 each.

The Patriots (18-6) faced Greenville Christian Tuesday in the first round of the North AA Tournament at Benton Academy. The semi-finals and finals will be held Friday and Saturday. The top four teams move on to state next week at Brookhaven Aca­demy.