JERSEYVILLE – Brett Terry led Marquette Catholic with 14 points, and a 9-0 third quarter run after the score was tied 21-21 helped the Explorers go on to a 44-34 win over Jersey in a basketball game played Friday night at Havens Gym.
The game was close for much of the first half, with Marquette up at halftime 21-19, and it was the Explorers’ tough defense that helped them go off on the decisive run in the third quarter.
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“You know, it was kind of even at first a little bit,” said Marquette coach Steve Medford, “I thought really are just the ability to make some plays defensively for us and get out in transition is what we have to do, and we got a couple of steals, we got out, and that really kind of changed the momentum on our way, and once we go up seven, eight, nine points, we had to spread them out a little bit and they had to chase us a little bit. I thought Cortez (Harris) made a lot of nice plays, and we just extended the lead and took care of what we had to do.”
The Panthers did manage to keep up with Marquette in the first half to keep it close but missed shots in the third helped prove to be Jersey’s downfall.
“I think we should have had the lead at halftime, because we didn’t play good in the third quarter,” said Panther coach Stote Reeder, “and we probably should have had a little cushion there, and we just missed some opportunities, and even through that, we left eight points on the floor. We didn’t hang them on the scoreboard, four easy shots that we missed.
Games like this, close games, you’ve got to make those,” Reeder also said. “I mean, eight points, we lost by 10 on just simple little one, two, three footers. It’s nice the boys are executing to get those we’ve got to make them.”
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