Tigers rally from 15-point deficit, beat Giles Co.

By Chris Siers ~ sports@t-g.com
Posted 12/12/22

LEWISBURG — Trailing by as many as 15 points in the third quarter to visiting Giles County on Friday night, the Marshall County Tigers (6-2) flipped the script on the Bobcats and rallied for a …

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Tigers rally from 15-point deficit, beat Giles Co.

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LEWISBURG — Trailing by as many as 15 points in the third quarter to visiting Giles County on Friday night, the Marshall County Tigers (6-2) flipped the script on the Bobcats and rallied for a 67-62, non-district win over their rivals from Pulaski.
The difference between the first and second half according to Tiger coach Lavon King? A much better defensive effort in the second half.
“They stepped up and played defense. That was one of the biggest things we tried to preach in pregame and warmups. We did a lot better job in the second half,” he said.
Giles County’s Jake Cardin seemingly scored at will during a monster first half in which he piled up 16 points.
But while Cardin was able to score from multiple levels, the Bobcats’ leading scorer managed just a single field goal in the second half.
When it came time to corral the sharpshooter from Giles County, King said it was just a matter of challenging his team to respond defensively.
They responded.
“It was one of those things where we challenged a couple of guys to step up and rise to the occasion because we knew what they were capable of defensively,” he said.
After building a 38-26 lead by halftime the Tigers went on an absolute tear in the second half and thanks to a 27-point fourth quarter, built a 10-point lead late in the final frame.
In the massive fourth quarter, the Tigers were able to claw their way back into the game by drawing fouls and cashing in at the charity stripe.
In total, Marshall County made good on 19-of-25 attempts at the line, including a 12-of-17 effort in the fourth quarter alone.
Nine different Tigers penciled their name in the scoring column and keeping with recent trends, it was Jamahl Gentry who provided the bulk of the fireworks on the offensive end of the court.
He led three Tigers in double figures with 21 points, while Jayden Hart and Jabrae Howard each chipped in 11.
“That’s one of the things I try to tell the guys. You never know when your number is going to get called. We played 10 or 11 guys today,” King said.
Cardin led all scorers with 24 points, but was limited in effectiveness in the second half with only eight points.
The win marked the fifth-straight victory for Marshall County, as the Tigers hit the road on Monday night for another non-district clash at Smyrna.

Giles Co. 21 17 11 13 — 62
Marshall Co. 12 14 14 27 — 67

Giles Co.: Jake Cardin 24, K.T. Turner 15, Jaccon Coffey 9, Kareem Bryant 7, Matt King 5, Clay Mitchell 2.
Marshall Co.: Jamahl Gentry 21, Jabrae Howard 11, Jayden Hart 11, Aja Jones 7, Marcus O’Neal 6, Montai Vaughn 3, Markal Harris 3, Jayden Randolph 3, KiMarion Allen 2.
3-Point goals: Marshall Co. (4): Gentry 2, Howard, Harris; Giles Co. (4): Turner 2, Cardin, Bryant.
Halftime score: Giles Co. 38, Marshall Co. 26.