SPORTS: Tilghman, Marshall face off in championship By Mike Stunson mstunson@paducahsun. Tonight Paducah Tilghman will play for a championship at its Christmas tournament, and if its balanced roster keeps up with its explosive offensive play, it may not be the first or even second time the Blue Tornado play for a championship. The Blue Tornado put up at least 96 points for the third time this month, as six players scored at least nine points in their 96-85 victory over Ballard Memorial in both teams second game of the Tilghman Christmas Tournament - which began Monday. Tilghman coach Brad Stieg said his teams depth could be what pushes the team deep into the postseason. We want to play fullcourt offensively and defensively to use our depth and quickness, he said. We have to get better defensively, though. We are allowing too many points. We have guys who are just learning how to play defense, so they will get better. Three-point shooting from the Blue Tornado gave them a first-quarter double-digit lead that they would not relinquish. Brannon Warfield had two of the 3-pointers in the opening minutes, with Sayveon McEwen making a pair of his own to give Tilghman a 24-9 lead in the first quarter. After Tilghman built its comfortable lead, JJ Reed, its freshman with star potential, went to work. The 6-foot-5 forward only needed 11 field goal attempts to finish with a team-high 22 points - 18 coming after the first quarter. As long as he keeps working and improving, the sky is the limit for him, Stieg said of Reed, who added a team-high seven rebounds. Thanks to the play of Keagan Cooper (26 points), the Bombers would not go away in its hopes of advancing to the tournaments championship, but each time Ballard had momentum, someone from Tilghmans deep lineup was there to keep its lead at a comfortable distance. McEwen had 17 points for Tilghman, with Rodriguez Thomas adding 14 with a pair of 3-pointers. Up next for the Blue Tornado is a meeting with Marshall County tonight at 6 p.m. for the championship of the tournament. It will be a much different style well be facing, Stieg said. We have to force tempo and keep them going up and down, and not to let them slow the game down too much. Ballard will face Mayfield for third place today.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 17:31:01 +0000
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