Adair County Cruises Past Marshall County, Secures Spot in Sweet 16 Quarterfinals
Both team’s fans showed up big on Wednesday night. The bottom bowl of Rupp Arena was divided perfectly between orange and blue, a callback to the old Rupp Arena seating.
Adair County’s blue filled the entire east end of the gym, looking a lot like the eRUPPtion Zone at typical Kentucky men’s basketball games. And while Marshall County’s orange took up less of the west end, the Marshals’ band made it feel like a sold-out atmosphere.
After the thrilling Lyon County matchup in the game before that saw the Lyons sneak past Ashland Blazer, Marshall and Adair had a lot to follow. Adair County’s fans seemed primed to start the Indians off right, as they came out firing. The Indians entered as the perceived favorites following a 27-7 regular season finish and a victory in the 5th region championship.
Through the first quarter, both teams traded shots. However, one thing became clear: Adair could shoot the three ball. On the flip side, Marshall County seemed content to run a slower half-court offense with a lot of mid-range jumpers — Adair did not.
The Indians wanted to run, shoot threes, and get star Isaiah Cochran (16.9 PPG this season) the ball whenever they could.
Cochran is big, but can space the floor with a mid-range jumper and good footwork. That being said, it was Blane Bardin who hit two big threes in the first for the Indians.
However, Marshall fought back well in the first and second quarters, even as Adair was shooting better than 50% and over 60% from three; rebounds and turnovers kept the lead under 10. In the second quarter, Marshall County cut its deficit all the way down to three behind big plays from Alex Staples and Mathew Langhi.
It was tough to get closer from there though, as Adair just kept making threes to give them a 31-24 lead at the halftime break.
Adair County’s Perfect Second Half
The second half embodied everything a team needs to do well in March.
Adair County shot threes, rebounded the ball, and forced turnovers. In the second half alone, Adair went 4-8 behind the arc and shot 17-22 from the field. It was about as perfect as it could get, and eventually, Marshall County ran out of answers.
Cochran was a star for Adair; he finished with 16 points, nine rebounds, and six assists in 28 minutes. Cochran was the go-to guy for Adair, but Connor Loy, Lane Grant, Brayton Coomer, and Dawson Gilbert all broke double-digits in scoring.
Adair entered the matchup averaging exactly 72.0 ppg on the season, and their superb shooting led them to a 72-55 victory over Marshall County. If anyone was sleeping on Adair County, they aren’t anymore, and the Indians will have a chance to prove it again with a quarterfinal matchup against No. 3 Lyon County.
Lyon County, led by Kentucky signee Travis Perry, will enter as the heavy favorites on Friday afternoon (1:30 p.m. EST), but if the Indians can shoot 9-17 from behind the arc again, an upset is very possible.
This. Is. March.
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