Late dunk by Erwin gives Marshall district title win over Pennfield
· Yahoo Sports
BATTLE CREEK — He missed the dunk that could have put the game away. But, Clark Erwin made sure to make the dunk that did put the game away in the final seconds as Marshall won its second straight district title.
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Marshall held off Pennfield in the final seconds to win 59-56 in the championship game of this Division 2 boys basketball district tournament at Pennfield High School on Friday, Feb. 27. Marshall advances to play Chelsea (18-5) in a Division 2 regional semifinal at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 3.
After Pennfield's Calvin Paesens hit a deep 3-pointer to cut the lead to 57-56 with :11 seconds left in regulation. Marshall called a time out to draw up a final play for Matthew Waito to inbounds the ball from the opposite baseline and throw a 'touchdown pass' to Erwin past the Pennfield defense. Erwin caught the ball in stride and then threw down a two-handed dunk with :04 left on the clock to give Marshall the lead it needed to win the game.
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"We call that play rocket," Marshall coach Anthony Miller said. "I told him, just put it in, lay up or dunk, just put it in. They executed that play perfectly."
A few minutes earlier, Erwin had another breakaway opportunity and missed a one-handed dunk that rattled off the rim. That dunk would have put Marshall up 57-50 with less than two minutes to play. Instead, Pennfield rallied to make it close in the end before Erwin made sure on his second dunk attempt.
"I was surprised I missed that first dunk, but that happens," Erwin said. "I got it back and dunked the next one and we won, that's what matters. I just made sure I used two hands on that last one.
"This is awesome, an amazing feeling, love doing this with these guys."
It is the second straight district championship for Marshall, which improves to 19-4. It is also the second straight win for Marshall over Pennfield as the two teams split in the regular season and shared the Interstate 8 Conference title.
"This feels really good. These guys worked so hard to put us in a position to compete for the league, and to then, to come back out tonight win this district on their home floor," Miller said. "It was two teams that were both deserving, and we just happened to make a couple more plays than they did. It was a great win and a lot of fun to watch and be a part of."
Erwin led Marshall with 22 points and four rebounds with Lincoln Fuller adding 20 points and six rebounds as Waito chipped in 11 points and eight assists.
Early, it didn't seem like this game would go down to the final seconds. Marshall scored the first 11 points and was up 18-13 at the end of the first quarter.
However, Pennfield fought back and had cut the lead to 30-28 by halftime. The Panthers tied the game for the first time at 37-37 on a driving layup by Dre'Shaun Bailey with 1:39 left in the third quarter. Pennfield took its first lead of the game at 43-42 on a basket by Peyton Merlington with 7:10 left in the fourth quarter.
The Panthers largest lead was 48-43 on a 3-poiinter by Paesens with 6:05 left. However, Marshall would tie the game at 50-50 and take a lead it would never relinquish at 53-50 on an off-balanced layup and a foul for a three-point play by Waito with 2:20 remaining.
Merlington led Pennfield with 14 points with Bailey and Johnny Lake each adding 13 as the Panthers end the season at 18-6.
"Another instant classic with Marshall, a back-and-forth game. Came down to a couple possessions where the ball didn't go our way," Pennfield coach Robbie Hattan said. "We were able to battle back, take this thing 12 rounds. Proud of these kids."
Bill Broderick can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X/Twitter: @billbroderick
This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Marshall wins boys basketball Division 2 district championship