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EDWARDSVILLE – Marquette Catholic got out to a 23-15 quarter-time lead on Metro East Lutheran and went on to reach the Gold Bracket final of the MEL Thanksgiving Turkey Tip-Off Classic with a 74-45 win over the host Knights Friday night at MEL's Hooks Gym.
The Explorers went to 3-0 on the season with the win and will take on Waterloo Gibault in the final at 7:30 p.m. Saturday; the Hawks defeated Piasa Southwestern in Friday's other semifinal contest.
The Explorers extended their lead to 42-23 at the half and to 63-37 at three-quarter time to run out winners on the night.
“We had a good effort defensively,” said Marquette Catholic Coach Steve Medford. “We wanted to play in the Gold Bracket and see what we could do. We have a lot of people who can shoot the basketball. A lot of our guys are pretty unselfish. I was a little disappointed at times with our defense, but we had a good effort. As long as the effort is there, we can clean it up.”
Jake Hall led the Explorers with 16 points followed by Isaiah Ervin's 15 points and Sammy Green's 11. JJ Schwartz led the Knights (3-1) with 21 points, with Braden Woolsey adding seven and A.J. Risavy five.
MEL plays Southwestern in Saturday's third-place bracket contest at 5:30 p.m. in Hooks Gym.Madelaine Gerard also contributed to this story.
