Photo by Lacey Barke Marshall’s Matthew Onken puts up a reverse layup during their game against Sioux Falls Washington on Thursday. The Tigers fell to the Warriors 49-43.

MARSHALL– The Marshall boys basketball team found themselves in a deficit early during their game against Sioux Falls Washington on Thursday. The Tigers cut it close in the second half, but ultimately couldn’t come away with a win, as the Warriors defeated the Tigers 49-43.

Although the Tigers kicked things off scoringwise, Marshall struggled on the other side of the court, especially with holding their own underneath the basket on rebounds. Both teams played some tight defense and allowed few inside shots to connect easily before Marshall gained some ground offensively with aggressive attacks to the rim, which drew trips to the free-throw line in the process. The Tigers were able to close the gap down the stretch in the first half on a Trey Lance basket, but still finished out the first half trailing 25-19.

Head coach Travis Carroll said that the Warriors came out with a stronger game than the Tigers. “Sioux Falls Washington played harder,” he said. “We knew they were going to be a physical team, and they out-rebounded us 34-19 on the boards.”

The second half had Marshall displaying stronger defense where they adjusted to ball placement faster, and the Tigers saw more shots going in altogether. The Warriors defense remained just as strong as before, however, and the Tigers continued to struggle with finding a way to the basket. Loose balls and steals plagued Marshall and set them back, and their rebounding didn’t improve from the first half. The Warriors defensive pressure on the inside forced more outside shot attempts. After running their offense and not finding a path to the hoop, Lance sunk a 3-pointer which he soon backed up with another one. Towards the closing minutes of the game, Nick Klaith also earned a 3-pointer, but the Tigers couldn’t catch up with the Warriors late, falling by a score of 49-43.

Coach Carroll mentioned that even though their was a slight improvement heading into the second half, he was disappointed with the game effort that his team put forth on the court for the night’s game. “The second half we had a little bit more energy,” he said. “It’s tough to beat a good basketball team when you don’t put forth the effort. Looking forward, we just need to play a lot harder then we did tonight.

Leading his team in overall points scored was Lance with 17 total. Bryce Paulsen and Matt Onken both earned six points while Noah Peutz and Jake Hess had four points apiece. Puetz, Klaith, Paulsen and Onken each achieved one assist. Lance showed up with five steals, while Hess had two and Peutz pitched in with one. For 3-point shots, Andrew Bennett and Klaith each had one while Lance led with two.

The Marshall boys basketball team will be looking to recover from the night’s loss with a win against Jordan on Friday the 29th in Southwest Minnesota State University’s R/A Facility at 7:30 p.m.