Murray junior Harris Moore fires off a 3-pointer on his way to a 14-point performance to lead the Tigers to a 57-48 win over Carlisle County Thursday night in the First Region tournament.
JARED JENSEN | The Sun
After falling to the Comets just a few short weeks ago, the goal for the Murray Tigers boys basketball team was to not let the same result happen again. That goal was accomplished Thursday night as the Tigers defeated the Comets 57-48 in the first round of the First Region tournament.
Energy was the name of the game from the opening tip, as the Tigers made sure everyone knew they meant business.
“Our guys were confident in where we were at,” Murray head coach Colin Doss said. “Usually when a team beats you it depletes you a little bit, but it did the opposite for our guys — it made them mad. We were really confident coming into tonight, it showed early and I couldn’t be more proud of these guys.”
That energy led to junior Harris Moore knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers to take a 13-7 lead early that they wouldn’t give up until late in the third quarter.
From a defensive standpoint, Doss knew if his team could keep the ball out of the hands of Carlisle’s bigs, Wyatt Rickard and Heath McBride in the paint and make them shoot the three-ball, they would be in good shape.
McBride would test that theory just a bit in the opening frame with a pair, but the Tigers held Carlisle to just five made 3-pointers on the night.
Heath McBride had 11 points Thursday night including a trio of 3-pointers in the Comets First Region tournament loss to Murray.
JARED JENSEN | The Sun
“We played a mathematical game tonight. They shoot 28% from from three, so we knew if we could make them take more threes than twos, we’d be in a really good spot,” Doss said. “And if they decided to hit all of those 3’s tonight, then so be it. We played a math game, completely analytical, completely statistical, and it worked.”
Of course, Rickard still led the Comets with 21 points and made his presence known in his own defensive paint.
While it was Murray that controlled the tempo most of the way, Carlisle was always within striking distance as the Tigers held just a 27-22 halftime lead.
Things would start to shift for the Comets in the second half where they combined for their highest scoring quarter at 15 points. Ten of those points would come from Rickard as the big man settled into the paint for six and added four more from the charity stripe. He would be the one to get Carlisle County the lead back after trailing ever since the second bucket of the night.
A successful and-one opportunity for Moore reclaimed the lead at 38-37 heading into the final frame.
Henri Acreman-Nyamwala had eight points all in the fourth quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers Thursday night to help the Tigers take down Carlisle County in the First Region tournament.
JARED JENSEN | The Sun
Henri Acreman-Nyamwala would ignite the best offensive quarter of the night for the Tigers early in the fourth quarter, draining back-to-back 3-pointers from the same corner to give his team the 46-42 advantage. Another triple from Maddox Mitchell and a bucket from Moore would make it 51-45 and the rest of the night would be free throws, leading to the 57-48 final score.
Coming into the season with low expectations from everyone in the region but themselves, the statement win solidifies the Tigers as one of the top four teams in the First Region.
The Comets season comes to an end with a 25-7 record, as the Tigers stopped their 13-game win streak.
Murray (21-7) will now take on the Paducah Tilghman Blue Tornado Saturday afternoon (12-17) in the semifinal round of the First Region tournament. Tip is set for 2:30 p.m. from the CFSB Center.
MURRAY HIGH 17 | 10 | 11 | 19 — 57
CARLISLE COUNTY 10 | 12 | 15 | 11 — 48
MUR: H. Moore 14, M. Mitchell 10, Micah Wyatt 10, R. Walls 10, H. Acreman-Nyamwala 8, A. Armstrong 5
CAR: W. Rickard 21, H. McBride 11, B. O’Neill 8, D. Garrett 3, K. Perez 3, J. Bruer 2