Marist 59, Toledo 56: Top Performers

Jackson Naugle February 23, 2020 @ 03:23 PM

In a cross-classification battle between 2A and 4A title contenders, Marist outlasted Toledo 59-56 to capture a thrilling come-from-behind victory. The match-up served as a tune-up for both teams, but offered much more in terms of entertainment value, as Toledo jumped out to an early lead that Marist slowly chipped away at. A late steal by Nick Stice led to an easy basket for the Spartans, who captured their first lead of the ballgame at 53-52 with less than three minutes to go. From there, both teams exchanged the lead multiple times as [player_tooltip player_id="971420" first="Conner" last="Marchant"] connected on a series of free throw attempts for the Boomers. Luke Eagen responded to the first pair with a put-back bucket, and Tresyn Harbert’s spinning layup gave the Spartans a lead in the last minute that they never surrendered. Here’s our top performers from Friday: Nick Stice (2020 Marist) - Stats: 13 pts, 2 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl Stice, one of the current favorites for 4A state player of the year, put up a modest 13 points to lead the Spartans. It was clear that the Boomers were keyed in on the 5-foot-9 senior in the first half, but Stice continued shooting and found his rhythm in the fourth quarter. The Marist point man scored six straight points in the final period to fuel the Spartans, and his four assists were also a game-high. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jj-anderson/">[player_tooltip player_id="855892" first="JJ" last="Anderson"]</a> (2020 Marist) - Stats: 13 pts, 1 reb, 2 ast Another senior stepping up for the Spartans was Anderson, who scored nine of his thirteen points from beyond the arc. The 5-foot-10 guard has a repeatable shot motion, and his ability to rise above contesting defenders from outside makes him a premier three-point threat. If the Spartans are to make it far in the state tournament, they will certainly need Anderson to be knocking down his jumpers. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ben-morehouse/">[player_tooltip player_id="855965" first="Ben" last="Morehouse"]</a> (2021 Marist) - Stats: 10 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast Morehouse put an exclamation point on the contest when he finished underneath plus the foul to make the game 59-56. It’s clear that the 6-foot-4 junior is one of the Spartans top offensive threats due to his size and skill set. On occasion, Morehouse will step out and knock down a three, but his natural domain is attacking the basket with long strides and a careful touch. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jaxon-rozewski/">[player_tooltip player_id="855938" first="Jaxon" last="Rozewski"]</a> (2021 Toledo) - Stats: 17 pts, 10 reb, 2 stl, 1 blk One of the key difference-makers for Toledo is Rozewski, who gave the Spartans serious problems inside all game. The 6-foot-6 big man has great athleticism and strength to go alongside his ability to finish, which makes him an absolute handful. At times, the Spartans were forced to foul, and although Rozewski didn’t shoot the ball particularly well from the stripe (5-for-11), he made his impact felt early and often on Saturday. [player_tooltip player_id="971420" first="Conner" last="Marchant"] (2020 Toledo) - Stats: 17 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast Marchant was very effective off the dribble for the Boomers, making countless trips to the free throw line as he got to the cup with ease. The senior point guard finished 9-for-9 from the charity stripe, and his left-handedness and ability to shoot the stepback three can’t help but scream “James Harden.” Clearly a top option for the Boomers offensively, Marchant would be a solid score-first point guard at any classification in Oregon. Clifton Howard (2020 Toledo) - Stats: 10 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl In addition to being the Boomers’ top scoring threat in the first half, Howard led the visitors in assists, picking apart the defense with multiple bullet passes from the perimeter. Howard’s physicality makes him tough to handle inside, but on Saturday, his ability to shoot and facilitate from outside ended up paying dividends.