Tigers top Titans 68-37 to continue perfect season | News, Sports, Jobs

Photo by Samantha Davis. Marshall’s Reese Drake sets up the offense in the second half against Tea Area (SD) in the Holiday Classic at Southwest Minnesota State University on Saturday. Drake finished with 16 points in the Tigers’ 68-37 victory.

MARSHALL — Marshall’s No. 1 girls basketball team closed out 2024 on a strong note by defeating Tea Area (SD) 68-37 in dominating fashion thanks to strong defense and efficient perimeter shooting during the Holiday Classic at Southwest Minnesota State University on Saturday. . The Tigers continue their perfect 11-0 start to the season.

Taleigha Bigler led all scorers with a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds, and Reese Drake finished with 16 points and seven rebounds.

“A victory always feels good” Drake said. “Every day we train knowing that we have to make sure we always improve by one percent.”

Marshall shot 48% from the field and 53% from the arc, making 8 of 15, and held the Titans to just 27% field goal shooting and 18% 3-point shooting.

Along with Bigler and Drake, Avery Fahl and Ali Pederson finished with 8 points each and Avery Schneekloth followed with 6. Bigler had a team-high four 3-pointers.

Marshall came out firing on all cylinders and never let off the gas. With a balanced team effort on both ends of the court, the Tigers built a 16-point halftime lead and continued their hot shooting throughout the game without ever allowing the Titans to get any closer.

The Tigers put the game away in other aspects beyond shooting, including 15 assists and 33 rebounds, including 25 on defensive boards, compared to Tea Area’s five assists and 21 rebounds overall.

“We’re a very unselfish team and we’re always looking to make that extra pass and find that open cutter or shooter on the wing,” Drake said.

The game was stopped with five minutes remaining after Marshall took a 35-point advantage.

The Titans got off to a later start to the season and only played three games before Saturday. Marshall, on the other hand, had a week off for the holidays before returning to the field Friday night with a 20-point victory over Jackson County Central in the first of the two-day tournament.

“They were a good team for us, they (Tea Area) play a bit like us. They play full court and they have a lot of speed and quickness. Lots of similarities between our two teams. said Marshall head coach Dan Westby. “We were looking forward to this opportunity to play this team.”

Marshall ran a fast-paced offense and at times ran a full-court press to force a few turnovers.

“We do this (pressing) mainly to get the other team to go faster than they want,” Drake said. “It helps us get those other touches that you couldn’t start in the backfield.”

The Tigers forced 23 turnovers with the Titans and committed just 11 themselves.

Drake got the ball early for an easy layup and Marshall started the game on an 8-0 run. The Titans were held scoreless for the first three minutes until they hit a corner 3-pointer.

Schneekloth and Pederson added another pair of field goals early in Marshall’s run.

Tea was able to cut a 12-8 deficit with another 3-pointer, but Marshall took over from there and didn’t allow the game to get back to 4 points again.

After a series of some serious fouls inflicted on both teams, Bigler made two free throws. She then followed up with a wide-open 3 from the top of the key to eclipse a double-digit lead of 21-9.

Bigler continued his offensive consistency in a quick counterattack, taking on three Titan defenders while crossing the lane to pass them for a right-handed layup. She also had a team-high five assists that night.

Bigler also finished with 26 points in Friday’s win and finished the tournament between the two days with 49 total points.

The half ended with Tea Area scoring a 3-pointer, as Marshall entered the locker room with a 31-15 lead.

“There were a few things we talked about at halftime. We felt like we had to try to do a better job of getting it (the ball), and that’s (their) push to the basket,” Westby said. “I thought there were too many times where they could drive to the basket, and I felt like we needed to take that away.”

Bigler had 15 points in the first half, followed by Drake’s 6.

The second half pleased Marshall, who hit six in the final 18 minutes.

Paige Gillingham opened the half with a quick layup and Drake made a 3-pointer on the next possession to drive the perimeter shot.

Gillingham also finished with a team-best seven rebounds.

Pederson and Bigler then hit back-to-back 3s to give the Tigers a 42-20 lead.

Marshall took its 30-point advantage to 55-25 after Kezlyn Pinckney made a short jumper on an inbounds play with just under 10 minutes to play.

The 3s continued to drop, along with the inside shots, and the game moved to game time after six minutes, as Westby also began to give the reserve players some playing time until the final buzzer.

Marshall has a bye week and will look to protect its winning streak in the new year when it next travels to face Waseca (1-9) on Jan. 4 at 2:30 p.m.

“We want to try to rest a little bit, because after the start of the year there really aren’t many opportunities to breathe,” Westby said. “Rest up this week, try to polish a few things, then get ready to go.”