Traverse City Central, MI – December 17th, 2016 – Although the U.P. was covered in a fresh blanket of snow, the weather downstate was clear as the Marquette Redmen took on the TC Central Trojans Saturday. It was a slow start for the Redmen, and they found themselves trailing by a surprising nine points early. Marquette called a quick timeout, and that seemed to wake the team up. They began to make a comeback, eventually trailing by just three points as the last minute of the first ticked away. The Redmen had a strong last minute, and they were able to take the lead right before the buzzer with a score of 13-12.First Quarter Score
Marquette Redmen: 13
TC Central Trojans: 12
It was a weak start for the Marquette Redmen, but they came together as a team late in the first to take the lead, which they were able to extend right after the inbounds pass to start the second quarter. The Redmen were able to slowly but surely extend their lead, and just before the mid point of the quarter, Marquette held a 4 point lead. The Titans were starting to have some real trouble dealing with the Redmen’s size, and Marquette forced multiple fouls that resulted in several points. Soon Marquette had a seven point lead, but with just a minute left in the quarter, TC Central narrowed that lead to just five points. A buzzer beating shot right at the end of the half gave Marquette a 10 point lead for the start of the third quarter.
First Half Score
Marquette Redmen: 29
TC Central Trojans: 19
The Marquette Redmen had stumbled in the first quarter, but came back hard in the second and they looked to keep that up for the second half of play. The Trojans started to become a bit chippy, however, and as the third quarter progressed, they were already in danger of putting Marquette into the bonus. The Redmen held the Trojans to just six points of scoring throughout the majority of the third, and that added to their frustration. By the end of the quarter, Marquette had an astonishing 21 point lead.
Third Quarter Score
Marquette Redmen: 47
TC Central Trojans: 26
The fouls were flying as the game entered the final quarter. Both team were in danger of putting the other into the bonus, but the Marquette Redmen appeared to be the better team. They shook their first-quarter jitters, and extended their lead over TC Central. Marquette used a full-court press to keep the pressure up against the Trojans, but the Trojans found some life and narrowed the gap in the score with three minutes remaining. With 50 seconds left in the game, the Redmen had secured their win, and they would leave Traverse City with two wins on the weekend.
Final Game Score
Marquette Redmen: 59
TC Central Trojans: 32