SEYMOUR
After back-to-back blowout losses, the Trinity Lutheran boys basketball team was looking to get back to .500 on the season Tuesday night against Edinburgh.
Trinity Lutheran junior Jack Marksberry wasn’t about to endure another loss, especially not to the five-win Lancers, as he helped jumpstart a late run by the Cougars.
Giving the Cougars their first lead of the ballgame, 34-32, at the end of the third quarter with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, he also scored seven straight in the fourth to give Trinity a cushion en route to a 56-46 win.
The second meeting between the sectional rivals this season followed an eerily similar track as the first meeting.
The Lancers took an early one-point lead after the first quarter and, just like the earlier contest on Dec. 27, they weren’t able to hang onto it.
Edinburgh, however, was in command for much longer than they were in the first game, leading for the opening 23 minutes and 59 seconds before Marksberry’s 3-pointer put the Cougars in front for good.
The Lancers kept Trinity (11-11) fairly disjointed and out of the paint in the first half with their distinct size advantage.
Clogging the lane and forcing the Cougars to shoot jumpers worked to perfection, and their plan was aided when the Cougars’ tallest player, Jacob Sabotin, was forced to ride the pine with two first-quarter fouls. The sophomore big man, who stands a 6 feet, 4 inches, was thrown back into the second quarter and quickly picked up his third foul.
Still, even with their plan working well, the Lancers were never able to completely pull away, with their largest lead only swelling to seven.
A large discrepancy in free-throw shooting also played into the Cougars’ favor, especially late in the ballgame.
Trinity went 16 for 22 from the line, hitting their last four to put the game out of reach, while the Lancers attempted just five for the game.
Marksberry hit the final four free throws of the night for the Cougars and finished with a game-high 19 points.
Mitchell Hackman also scored in double figures for the Cougars with 11. He and Marksberry were the only two double-digit scorers for Trinity.
Edinburgh, which drops to 5-15 for the season, was led by freshman Caleb Dewey, who scored 14. Junior Noah Detling added 11, as did fellow junior Isaac Roberts. Travis Jones and Landen Burton rounded out the Lancer scoring with four each.
Edinburgh hosts the state’s top offense in South Decatur on Friday.
