Marchbanks’ free throws seal 44-41 Hartselle win over Cullman

Masyn Marchbanks hit three free throws with less than a second on the clock to give Hartselle a hard-fought 44-41 victory on the road at Cullman Jan. 25.

It was a packed quarter of action that led to the Hartselle win.

The Lady Tigers were sitting on a narrow 28-27 lead going into the fourth quarter, and the Lady Bearcats opened the final quarter with a 7-2 run to take a 34-30 lead. The Lady Tigers came fighting back with seven straight points to get a 37-34 lead.

The teams traded baskets, leaving Hartselle with a 41-38 lead with less than 15 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Cullman, however, tied the game at 41-41 when Jaden Winfrey rebounded a missed free throw and put the ball in the basket with less than four seconds remaining.

The game looked to be heading to overtime as the Lady Tigers inbounded the ball to Marchbanks, who dribbled down court. After crossing half-court, she took a last-second heave to try and win the game. As she released the ball, one of the officials called a foul on Cullman for making contact with Marchbanks on her shot.

The foul gave her three free throws – and a chance to win the game for Hartselle.

She calmly stepped to the line and knocked down all three shots to give the Lady Tigers a 44-41 lead with .9 seconds remaining.

The Lady Bearcats failed to get a shot off as time expired, giving Hartselle the victory.

The Lady Tigers opened the game with an 8-0 run, getting points from Alyssa McMinemon, Kaitlyn Hogan and Marchbanks. Cullman cut the lead to three with a 5-0 run.

Hartselle responded with a 6-0 run, as Marchbanks scored four straight, followed by a Mary Frances Itsede layup, to take a 14-5 lead.

Ava McSwain scored three points right before the end of the first quarter to make the score 14-8 heading into the second.

Defense dominated the second quarter, as Hartselle outscored Cullman 6-3. The Lady Tigers got points from Sage Patrick and Marchbanks, while the Cullman girls hit their second three-pointer of the half.

Hartselle took a 20-11 lead into halftime.

Cullman cut that lead to 20-14 to open the third quarter before Marchbanks and McMinemon scored six points to stretch it to 26-14.

The Lady Bearcats responded with a 13-0 run that included three more three-pointers to take their first lead of the game, 27-26.

Marchbanks finished with 26 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals to lead Hartselle (19-6). McMinemon had six points and three rebounds, while Hogan had five points and five rebounds.

The Lady Tigers clinched the top spot in the area tournament with the victory. They will host the 6A, Area 15, tournament starting Monday. They will play Decatur, while Cullman will play Muscle Shoals.