SFW takes down Tigers, 65-46 | News, Sports, Jobs
Photo by Jake McNeill
Marshall guard Salman Osman (5) shoots a floated from the top of the key over a Sioux Falls Washington defender in the first half of Marshall’s 65-46 home loss to the Warriors Thursday night.
MARSHALL — Despite quality scoring performances from Omar Abdi and Andrew Elton, the Marshall boys basketball team couldn’t keep pace with Sioux Falls Washington in a 65-46 home loss.
Abdi got the Tigers off to a hot start. He scored each of the Tigers’ first 7 points to build an early 7-2 lead for Marshall.
“He’s a senior leader for us and brings a lot of energy,” Marshall assistant coach Derek Long said. “He’s very aggressive from the jump. That really set the tone for us offensively.”
Yet, after an Elton bucket increased the Tiger lead to 9-2, the Warriors took complete control of the game. SFW went on a 23-2 run, with the only Marshall bucket being an and-one layup by Abdi, and didn’t trail for the rest of the game.
“I think it had a lot to do with rebounding,” Long said. “We have to work on those things. When you play a South Dakota school, they’re going to be physical. We just got to make sure we’re boxing out, getting those rebounds, and handling the physicality… I thought we did a good job with our effort to try to cut off guys trying to go into the boards, but we’ve got to box them out a little sooner, probably.”
From there, Abdi’s scoring output was minimized as he was often double-teamed as soon as he touched the ball. He finished the game with 13 points on 55% from the field.
Elton, however, was able to pick up where Abdi left off. He found his points within the flow of the offense, taking only what the defense was giving him without forcing his shots, and finished with 11 points on 63% shooting.
The Warriors’ advantage was their size and athleticism. Marshall lacked the size to stop them in the post. The Warriors outscored Marshall in the paint 36-22.
“I think this was a good test for the rest of the season. The reason why we play these guys is that they bring all their physicality over. I think it’s god for our guys to see a team like this,” Long said.
Much of this scoring discrepancy can be attributed to rebounding. SFW grabbed nine offensive rebounds and 35 total rebounds, nearly twice as many as Marshall’s 18. Elton led the Tigers with five rebounds.
The Tigers couldn’t seem to get to the line all night. They finished the game with four free throw attempts, knocking down one.
Marshall (6-7) will return to action tonight at 7:15 p.m. when they go on the road to face off Worthington in the hope of getting back to .500.
Sioux Falls Washington 65, Marshall 46
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
SCORING (FG-FGA-PTS): MAR (Abdi 6-11-13; Elton 5-8-11; Jonah Vierstraete 4-6-9)
PASSING (AST-TO): MAR (Alex Franson 3-1; Vierstraete 3-2; Elton 2-0; Jackson Baynard 2-1)
REBOUNDING (ORB-TRB): MAR (Elton 2-5; Abdi 3)
DEFENSIVE (STL-BLK): MAR (Salman Osman 3-0; Franson 2-1; Tyler Maeyaert 1-1)