Marauders dominate en route to title at McDonald's Texas Invitational.
Marcus Smart imposed his will once again at the McDonald's Texas Invitational.
Photo by Jim Redman
Defending Texas 5A champ
Marcus (Flower Mound) made a surprisingly dominant early statement over the weekend by winning the McDonald's Texas Invitational.
The Marauders, ranked No. 2 nationally, beat three of the of the top 15 in Texas' 5A classification and went 5-0 over the course of three days. Marcus won by an average of 19.4 points per game and beat No. 2
DeSoto 55-42 in the final Saturday night.
National Player of the Year candidate
Marcus Smart scored 21 points – including 16 in the second half – for the Marauders in the championship game and earned tournament MVP honors. Trusty sidekick
Phil Forte poured in 20 of his own against DeSoto, including a trademark dagger 3-pointer in the closing minutes.
DeSoto reached the final of the massive event's Gold bracket by knocking off 6-foot-10 Texas signee
Cameron Ridley and
Fort Bend Bush (Richmond) in the semifinal. The McDonald's Texas Invitational featured 48 teams from around the state. Champions were crowned in three separate brackets.
The Marauders won't have much time to celebrate their tournament title. Class 4A state championship contender
Yates (Houston) is on the schedule Friday at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest in Duncanville.
