Marshall got off to a flaming hot start by converting offense to defense, coming away with a steal on each of its first four defensive possessions and turning it into 6 points off turnovers.

“It just brings a lot of energy to the team and makes it a lot more fun. Like we implemented a new defense at the start of the season and it’s just been working for us,” Marshall guard Patrick Morman said.

After JR Vierstraete scored a paint bucket on the game’s first possession, Andrew Lee tipped a pass and saved it from going out of bounds to Morman, who drew a foul and knocked down a pair of free throws.

Oliver Voigt came up with another steal before slamming home a dunk, and another Marshall steal yielded Worthington’s first defensive stop of the game. Still, Morman stole the ball in the press and finished the play with a layup, prompting a Worthington timeout, trailing 8-0 through the game’s first 75 seconds.

Photo by Jake McNeill: Marshall's Oliver Voigt (30) and Davion Xayarath (gray shirt) cheer on their team from the bench during the second half of a Section 2AAA boys basketball quarterfinal matchup against Worthington, Tuesday in Marshall.

Marshall forced a total of 23 turnovers in the game while coughing it up just 12 times themselves. Lee and Morman led the Charge with seven and five steals, respectively, while Morman was one of two Tigers with a block alongside Voigt.

The win marked the final home game for Marshall seniors Morman, Vierstraete, Levi Maeyaert, Davion Xayarath, Aiden Bly, and Logan Eickhoff. Xayarath was a starting guard for Marshall for most of the season but has been out down the stretch due to an injury.

“It’s a little but somber because it’s your last game, but it feels good to finish it out with a W playing with my teammates. I’m never going to forget that,” Maeyaert said.

Worthington scored its first points of the game after the timeout, getting back-to-back buckets from Kason Spartz. Yet, Marshall answered each time with a Voigt 3-pointer to bring its lead to double digits.

The Tigers’ lead teetered around 10 points for most of the first half, but Marshall found an extra burst of strength in the final five minutes before halftime, quickly bringing the lead from 8 points up to 19, 47-28, at the half.

Photo by Jake McNeill: Marshall guard Patrick Morman puts up a layup during the second half of a Section 2AAA boys basketball quarterfinal matchup against Worthington, Tuesday in Marshall.

“We knew Worthington was much-improved from when we played them earlier in the year, so just getting ready for that, staying completely focused and understanding our assignments and knowing what we’re doing on defense [was a key part of building up an early lead],” Maeyaert said.

Voigt and Morman tied with a team-high 17 points on the night, Voigt shooting 7 of 16 from the field with three 3s and Morman shooting 7 of 31 from the field. Voigt had 15 of his points come in the first half.

Maeyaert and Pieper also scored in double figures with 13 and 12 points, and Marshall shot 51% from the field and 7 of 14 from 3 as a team.

Marshall improves to 15-12 on the season with the win, now having won five of its last six games. The Tigers will take on third-seeded St. Peter in the section semifinals at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

“Just have to stay focused throughout the rest of the week preparing for them, and just bring our best effort,” Maeyeart said.

Photo by Jake McNeill: Marshall's Oliver Voigt slams down a dunk during the first half of a Section 2AAA boys basketball quarterfinal matchup against Worthington, Tuesday in Marshall.

The Saints spent most of the season hovering in and out of the Class 3A top 10 rankings, but Marshall won both of the teams’ head-to-head matchups by a score of 63-57 in Marshall on Jan. 9 and 62-56 in St. Peter on Feb. 6.

We have to play as a team, play together, believe in one another and trust our defense,” Morman said.