Marshall (7-16, 3-12 Liberty District) got out to a fast start, holding the Seahawks to just two first-quarter points and then took a 24-17 lead into halftime thanks, in part, to a pair of timely threes by junior Nate Whittington (11 points, six assists). The opening salvo could hardly have been expected from a Statesmen team that lost by 10 points to the Seahawks in late January and fell by 27 when the teams met in South Lakes Dec. 19.
The Seahawks refused to fade away however, and rallied to tie the score at 40. Marshall pulled back ahead 45-40 on Whittington’s third three of the game, but South Lakes managed just enough to pull even at the buzzer. Even with the momentum on their side in the first overtime, South Lakes couldn’t shake the persistent Statesmen. Taking the lead 55-53 after a pair of free throws with 5.5 seconds remaining, the Seahawks then blocked a would-be tying layup by Whittington. However, with the Statesmen retaining possession with 4.7 seconds left, Bryan Whittington hit senior Qaiser Ahmed underneath the basket. Ahmed split a pair of defenders and converted the layup to send the game to a second overtime.
With the teams battling back and forth for the remainder of the period, it finally took an aggressive move by South Lake’s Monte Smith to seal the victory. With time winding down, Smith slashed through the lane, double-pumped and hit an eight-foot jumper to finally put the nail in Marshall’s coffin.
Ahmed, earlier named to the All-Liberty District First Team, lead the Statesmen with 25 points, while the Seahawks were paced by junior Curtis Keys and senior JP DePaso, each with 11 points. Smith finished with nine, but none bigger than the final two.
The 2006-07 season had been a long and trying one for Marshall, but the hard fought loss against the Seahawks ends it on a positive note. Unfortunately for the Statesmen, the loss marks the end of Ahmed’s career in blue and red. He finishes as one of the all-time leading scorers in the history of the program.
Notes: Last week’s report that Qaiser Ahmed was the top scorer in Marshall history was inaccurate. It is not currently known who the leading all-time scorer is according to the school.