Martin beat Marcellus Friday 54-38 to run its overall record to 8-3 on the season and the Clippers lead its Southwest Athletic Conference division with a perfect 5-0 mark.
“We got off to a good start tonight for a change,” said Coach David Curry. “We jumped out to an early lead and were able to add to it in the second quarter to go in with a comfortable halftime lead.
“We were moving well away from the ball and making good, high percentage passes, which helped us to get things going offensively.
“Defensively we knew we were going to have to defend them at the three-point line. They are a good shooting team that knocks down quite a few threes most games. We were able to do that and also seemed to be where we needed to be away from the ball to help on the drives.”
Martin led 17-9 after one quarter and 36-21 at the half.
“We came out in the third quarter and struggled getting our offense going. We ended up settling for shots that we weren’t taking in the first half and Marcellus was doing a good job rebounding. They ended up cutting our lead to eight at one point, but we fought through it and got the game back into our hands and were able to finish strong,” Curry said.
“Once again the kids did a great job of showing patience even though the momentum wasn’t going in our direction. They settled down, weathered the storm, and finished strong.
Martin took a 41-31 lead into the final eight minutes.
“Marcellus went to a full-court press for most of the fourth quarter, but we kept our composure to get good looks and stretch the lead. Marcellus then had to start fouling and we knocked down seven of nine free throws down the stretch.
“This year I think we are playing much better as a team,” Curry said, “and the team has matured enough to be comfortable under pressure. When you’re able to do that, good things happen.”
Tanner Curry led Martin in scoring with 20 points, followed by Garrett Dill’s 16. Andrew Keyzer added 9.
Earlier this week Martin defeated Lawrence at home Tuesday, 58-53.
Curry again led the way with 17 points. Dill added 15, Matt MacVean finished with 13 points and Andrew Keyzer had 11.
“We had another slow start but were able to play through it and come out with another win,” said Coach David Curry.
“Down by eight at the end of the first quarter, 22-14, we went on a 12-0 run to start the second quarter.
“It started with Dill hitting a three after Lawton missed on their first possession. Then McVean got a one and one to make the score 22-20. Dill hit another shot to tie it and Keyzer made the next bucket to put us ahead by two and we never lost the lead from that point on.”
Martin led 33-28 at the half.
“It was a good game from the start,” Curry said. “They had beaten Delton earlier in the year and I think they may have under estimated the ability of our team because Delton beat us pretty handily. That is why I always tell my kids, you can’t look at the box score and compare it with what we did against a common opponent. You have to come out and execute every night no matter who your opponent is and what has happened in the past. “One of the key to our success lately is that we have cut our turnovers almost in half. Defensively we have been playing well and have been showing pretty good patience on offense.
“We showed great patience at the end of this game on the offensive end. The kids ran the offense and waited until they got a good shot and capitalized on the mistakes of Lawton’s defense. They were content with protecting the lead they had which is something we haven’t done well in past years.”
Martin will be host to Kelloggsville Tuesday evening.
SAC standings
Martin 5-0
Decatur 4-1
Lawrence 3-2
Eau Claire 2-3
Marcellus 1-4
Bloomingdale 0-5
