Article and Photos by T Ray Henry
The Marshall High School boys varsity basketball team hosted the West Vigo (IN) High School Vikings in an interstate game inside McNary Gymnasium on Wednesday, February 4th. Marshall came in with a record of 9-11, while West Vigo came in with a record of 9-7.
Marshall entered the game shorthanded with senior Bryce Griguhn and sophomore Zach Jones both out of action. With two of their 7-man rotation not playing, the Lions faced a steep uphill battle to stay close to the Vikings. West Vigo scored the first bucket of the game to lead 3-0 before Marshall’s Payton McGuire matched the three with one of his own from the top of the key to tie it up at 3 with 2 minutes gone in the first quarter. A free throw by Garrett Pugh and an offensive rebound and put back by Tucker Osborn tied the game at 6. With 3 ½ to go, a basket inside by Liam Keim gave Marshall its first lead of the game at 8-6, but West Vigo scored 10 unanswered points the rest of the way in the opening stanza to lead 16-8 after one.
Early in the second quarter, Marshall kept getting stops on the defensive end while Garrett Pugh and Tucker Osborn each connected on three-pointers to bring the Lions within 2 points (16-14). On West Vigo’s ensuing possession, Marshall’s Tucker Osborn made a great steal, and when he drove up the floor to the basket, he was fouled going up. Osborn sank both free throws, and the Lions were now tied with the Vikings (16-16) with 3:32 to go in the quarter. Marshall held strong on their next defensive set. When the Lions came back up the floor, Tucker Osborn found himself open behind the arc on the left side, and he drained the three-pointer to give Marshall a 19-16 lead. Two free throws by the visitors kept Marshall in front (19-18), then Tucker Osborn drained another three, this time from the right side for his second triple in as many trips up the floor, and Marshall led 22-18. A triple by West Vigo made the score 22-21. Another bucket by West Vigo made it 23-22 Vikings before Marshall’s Payton McGuire drove down the left side, went inside, and scored to give the Lions a 24-23 lead with about a half-minute to go before the break. Two free throws by West Vigo near the end of the quarter brought the game to halftime with Marshall trailing by one (25-24).
After the Vikings came up empty on their first possession of the third quarter, the Lions came into the offensive end and worked the ball along the perimeter. Payton McGuire suddenly took off and drove towards the goal. He scored at the rim as he was fouled. After sinking the free throw for the and-one, Marshall led 27-25. A bucket by Garrett Pugh on a nice reverse move a minute later was all the Lions could generate as the Lions were outscored in the quarter 14-5 to trail 39-29 heading to the final quarter of play.
In the fourth quarter, three-pointers by Tucker Osborn, Payton McGuire, and freshman Brady Landrus, combined with another bucket and two free throws by Payton McGuire, weren’t enough to put a dent in West Vigo’s lead. When the final buzzer sounded, Marshall came up on the short side of a 52-44 score. With the loss, Marshall falls to 9-12 on the season.
Tucker Osborn led the Lions with 16 points (four three-pointers), 5 rebounds (4 on the offensive glass), 1 assist and 2 steals. Payton McGuire finished the game with 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. Garrett Pugh had 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals. Brady Landrus, in his first varsity action of his high school career, ended up with 3 points and a rebound.
In the junior varsity contest, Marshall stayed close to West Vigo in the first half, leading at the half by four points (23-19), but in the second half, the Lions ran out of gas in falling to the Vikings by the score of 49-33. Leading the Marshall JV squad in scoring was Ethan Sumner, who poured in 12 points. Cage Stuckey had 9, Lennon Jennings 6, Preston Welsh 3, Brady Landrus 2, and Reed Ramey 1.
Marshall plays its next game this Friday, February 6th when the Lions host Newton for a conference tripleheader (Freshman/Sophomore, Junior Varsity, and Varsity games). The Freshman/Sophomore game tips off at 5:00 PM. Between the junior varsity and varsity games, Marshall High School will recognize all seniors from the boys basketball team, cheerleading squad, Marshallettes, Pep Band, Scholastic Bowl, and Trap Shooting teams. Be sure to get to the MAC early for this memorable evening where we honor our seniors.
On Saturday, February 7th, Marshall will host Okaw Valley (Bethany, IL) in a non-conference doubleheader inside McNary Gymnasium. The JV game will tip off at 12:00 Noon, with the varsity game to follow.
Tucker Osborn (2) hit four threes in leading Marshall with 16 points against West Vigo
Payton McGuire goes up inside against West Vigo - McGuire finished with 15 points
Garrett Pugh (21) powers through a Viking triple team to score for Marshall
Liam Keim scores over the West Vigo block attempt
Tucker Osborn (2) goes up inside and ties the game early against West Vigo
Marshall's student section roars after Tucker Osborn ties the game with a big triple in the second quarter against West Vigo
Marshall High School cheerleaders lead the crowd during player introductions (1)
