Late surge propels Marlin to win over Groesbeck
After a fast start, things got a little too close for comfort for the Marlin girls' basketball team in the fourth quarter of its non-district game at Groesbeck on Friday night.
But the Lady Bulldogs shut down the Lady Goats in the final four minutes and scored the final 11 points of the game en route to a 59-47 victory. It was Marlin's sixth consecutive win after losing their opener to Lancaster.
Marlin shot out to a 22-9 lead after one quarter. But Groesbeck chipped away and got within 34-26 at halftime and 46-42 after three quarters.
Aniya Williams scored to open the fourth quarter and put Marlin ahead 48-42. But five consecutive points by Groesbeck, including a three-pointer by Hannah Galvan, cut the Lady Bulldogs lead to one, 48-47, with 5 minutes, 43 seconds left in the game.
However, the three-point shot by Galvan were the final points Groesbeck would score as Marlin held them scoreless the final 5:43 of the game.
Yasmen Maxwell swished a 15-footer from the right baseline with 5:23 left to begin the closing 11-0 run. Neither team scored for nearly two minutes before Kendria Trotter made a layup to give Marlin a 52-47 advantage with 3:40 remaining.
Aniya Williams stole the ball and fed Maxwell for a layup with 2:37 left. Twenty seconds later Williams scored on a layup to make it 56-47. On the ensuing trip up the court, Williams stole the ball again and passed to McKenna Johnson for a layup putting Marlin ahead 58-47 with 1:57 left and forcing Groesbeck to call timeout.
On their next possession, Marlin went into a spread offense and held the ball for 75 seconds until Groesbeck was forced to foul with just 30 seconds remaining.
Maxwell made a free throw with just four ticks left on the clock for the final margin of victory.
Leading by one point midway through the first quarter, Marlin went on a 14-2 tear over the final four minutes to take a 22-9 lead at the first break.
Aleighseya Washington swished a three-pointer to ignite the run. Johnson hit a charity toss and Kendria Mason put in an offensive rebound to give Marlin a 14-7 lead.
Then, Williams went to work. The 6-foot-1 senior scored eight points in the final 42 seconds, including a three-pointer from the left baseline at the buzzer to put her team up by 13 points.
Williams led Marlin with 23 points, including a trio of three-pointers. Washington chipped in with 12 points, including a pair of shots from beyond the arc.
Johnson netted nine points and Maxwell contributed seven. Trotter had four points. Mason and Alisha Williams had two points each to round out Marlin's scoring.
The Lady Bulldogs will return to action Friday when they travel to Hillsboro for a 6:30 p.m. non-district game.