Third article at the Marshall Independent

PREP BOYS BASKETBALL: Strong first half carries Marshall to 70-36 victory against Worthington JAN 28, 2022CHRIS DRUMMOND Sports Reporter MARSHALL — The last time the Marshall boys basketball team faced Worthington they used a strong second half to earn the victory. On Thursday, Marshall had a much better start, using a stingy defense that propelled them to a 23-point halftime lead and ultimately a 70-36 victory, holding Worthington to their season low in points.

Senior guard Noah Wilts had 16 points for the Tigers in the opening half, outscoring the point total of the entire Trojans team, 16-15. Wilts would finish with a game-high in points with 21.

Turnovers and poor shooting doomed the Trojans in the first half. Worthington would finish the game with more turnovers (18) than field goals made (13). Marshall opened the second half on a 20-9 run, putting the game out of reach by getting second chance points and dominating the boards, finishing with a 28-16 advantage in rebounds. Charlie Jacobson for the Tigers also netted double figures in scoring with 10. Marshall head basketball coach Travis Carroll praised his team efforts on continuing momentum from Tuesday’s win. “Our kids did a great job tonight of carrying that momentum from Tuesday night into this game,” Carroll said. “Kids did a great job of working together on offensive and defense, resulting in a win.” The Tigers defense held the Trojans to 33 percent shooting on the night. Coach Carroll talked about how good his team’s defense looked throughout the game. “It’s been our biggest area of improvement,” Carroll said. “Our kids are playing hard and when we are communicating on defense, we can be really good.” Sophomore guard Kaleb Knothe for the Trojans scored a team-high 17 points. Marshall (12-5) will travel to Harrisburg High School in South Dakota for a Friday night matchup at 7 p.m. Marshall 38 32 – 70 Worthington 15 21 – 36 Marshall: Scoring (Wilts 7-10, 2-2 21; Jacobson 4-5, 2-2 10; Elton 3-6, 1-1 7; Abdi 3-5, 0-0 6; Paulsen 3-3, 0-0 6; Maeyaert 2-9, 0-0 5; Werner 1-3, 2-4 4; Graven 1-1, 3-4 5; Fenger 1-4, 0-0 2; Franson 1-3, 0-0 2; Osman 1-5, 0-0 2). Rebounds: Marshall 28 (Jacobson 5; Werner 4; Elton, Maeyaert 3; Abdi, Paulsen, Wilts, Franson 2; Chappuis, Fenger, Graven, Nwakama, Osman 1). Assists: Marshall 16 (Osman 3; Wilts, Paulsen, Maeyaert 2; Abdi, Elton, Graven, Ismail, Jacobson, Vierstraete, Werner 1). Steals: Marshall 2 (Paulsen 2).