Ottumwa, IA—Playing with four fouls for a majority of the second half, sophomore Merdic Green (Levittown, PA/Harry S. Truman) was able to propel the Marshalltown Community College men's basketball team to a 106-101 victory over McCook Community College at the Bowling RV Classic hosted by Indian Hills Community College. Green was one of three players to score at least 20 points for MCC, finishing with a game-high 26.
After picking up his fourth foul just minutes into the second half, Green found himself on the MCC bench. The sophomore returned to the court to score 11 of the team's final 26 points as MCC finished the weekend 1-1 in Ottumwa. Mike Rodriguez (Boston, MA/Redemption Christian Academy) continued to score at will, dropping 25 points on the Indians. Terence Shelby Jr. (Peoria, IL/Limestone) scored 15 second half points to finish with 20 on the night.
Amir Maddred (Camden, NJ/Camden) grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds to pick up his first double-double of the season as the freshman scored 12 points. Paulius Sakinis (Nebraska City, NE/Lourdes Central Catholic) grabbed eight rebounds to go along with 12 points and two blocks.
The Tigers opened up play on Saturday with a strong shooting performance. After a McCook field goal to open the game, MCC took the lead back and held on for a majority of the first half. Green took over midway through the first half, scoring five straight points, including a three-point play to put the Tigers up 31-25.
MCC was able to break the McCook full-court press with ease late in the first half as Rodriguez converted two straight coast-to-coast layups to give the Tigers their biggest lead, 43-33. MCC went into halftime leading 54-49 thanks to a 60.9 shooting percentage in the first 20 minutes.
The Indians adjusted their defensive pressure to open the second half and forced the Tigers into early turnovers as McCook went on an 11-2 run to pull within one. The Indians took their first lead since the opening minute of the game at 65-64. Both sides traded baskets over the next few possessions to keep the score close.
The Indians put together runs of 6-0 and 7-0, intervened by four quick points from Shelby Jr., and led 81-72. Shelby Jr. stopped the second run with a three-point shot, and Rodriguez followed up with a three of his own. Green connected on back-to-back layups to put MCC back on top, 82-81. Again, both sides continued to exchange baskets in a fast-paced battle. Trailing by three late, Shelby Jr. kept MCC intact with another three to tie the game.
Rodriguez put home a running floater in the lane with just over two minutes to play for a 96-95 lead. The Tigers provided a stop on the defensive end, and took a three-point lead thanks to Green's put-back of his own miss. The sophomore skied above the Indians on the other end for a crucial defensive rebound that sealed the victory for MCC.
The Tigers finished with a 51.9 shooting percentage from the floor. MCC went 20-25 from the line on the night as well. After shooting just 64.7 percent from the charity stripe in the team's first four games of the year, the Tigers shot 82.0 percent (41-50) over the course of the weekend.
MCC controlled the glass with a 54-37 advantage, including a 16-11 edge on the offensive boards. MCC held a 21-13 advantage on second chance points and scored 60 points in the paint.
The Tigers travel to John Wood Community College for a 7:00 PM matchup on Nov. 19.
