Fast start gives Phoenix important win
The Sonoraville Phoenix were looking to show their mental toughness and a short memory as they were aiming to bounce back following two straight losses after a 16-0 start to the season. They did that in two separate ways in their Region 6-AAA home matchup vs. Murray County on Thursday night – with an impressive start and a clutch finish.
The Phoenix built a double-digit lead at the half over the Indians and then held on with stingy defense and clutch free throws down the stretch to earn a much-needed and hard-fought 54-50 victory at The Furnace.
Leading 34-21 at the half, Sonoraville (17-2, 11-1 in 6-AAA) saw the visiting Indians make a furious charge over the final two quarters as they cut the deficit to 46-38 at the end of the third and got to within two on four separate occasions in the fourth. But each time the lead got to within one possession in the final period, the Phoenix responded with a huge bucket and some clutch free throws to seal the win.
“I’m extremely proud of our guys and their fight,” said Sonoraville head coach Brent Mashburn. “Finding a way to come out the way we did after those last two losses, I thought we played well early to get that lead. I told them at the half that we knew a run was coming from Murray County because they are a very talented bunch. It was just what we were going to do with it when it did come. And our guys stood up to it and did just enough to finish it off at the end.”
Among the game-saving plays down the stretch were a bucket by Orry Darnell with less than two minutes to play and then seniors
Darnell and Murray Somers going a combined 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the final minute as well as multiple stops by Sonoraville’s impressive team defense.
“We were really good defensively in the first half and down the stretch we really made it tough on them with five guys playing tough and contesting everything,” said Mashburn. “And with Orry and Murray, there is nobody I would rather have on the free throw line. They stepped up with confidence and sealed the game.”
Darnell led the Phoenix in the win with 18 points, including a 4-for-4 mark at the free throw line. Ian King was also in double figures with 11 points, including hitting three shots from beyond the arc, and Somers contributed nine points of his own.
Haden Newport had a big game for Murray County (12-5, 8-3 in 6-AAA) with a game-high 25 points. He scored 19 of those in the first half to almost single-handedly keep the Indians within striking distance offensively.
The Phoenix were able to limit Newport to six in the second half, but others stepped up to hit huge shots, including 10 points from Carson Weaver. Weaver hit a pair
Murray County on Tuesday at 6 p.m. and then end the week at Ringgold on Friday at 6 p.m.
“We’ve got to try to always hold serve at home,” said Caudell. “We shoot it well here, and we continued that tonight. Going on the road is tough. We’ve just got to keep rolling and playing each game with the same intensity.”