Basketball Recap: Payton Mcguire's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Marshall over Sullivan

Marshall lost to Sullivan back in December of 2024 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Friday. The Lions took a hard 74-56 fall against the Golden Arrows. While losing is never fun, the Lions can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 432nd in Illinois, while the Golden Arrows are ranked 147th in Indiana).

Several Lions players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Payton McGuire, who posted 21 points. That was a full 37.5% of Marshall's points, marking the fourth time in a row McGuire has put up more than a third of the team's points. Garrett Pugh was another key player, dropping a double-double with 18 points and 13 boards.

Leading Sullivan to victory were Cooper Bock and Paul Ridgway. Bock went 10-for-13 on his way to 21 points along with four blocks and three steals, while Ridgway shot 50% from the field to rack up 25 points and seven rebounds. Bock has also also been stellar as far as field goal percentage is concerned: he's posted one of at least 55% every time he's hit the court this season. Hunter Pinkston also deserves some recognition as he posted his first blocks of the season.

Marshall's defeat dropped their record down to 3-5. As for Sullivan, they now have a winning record of 4-3.

Marshall didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 57-40 loss against Terre Haute South Vigo on the 27th. As for Sullivan, they have also already played their next matchup, a 64-55 defeat against Northview on the 27th.