Even though the Marshall Rams scored an imposing 63 points on Wednesday, the Johnson Jaguars still came out on top. Johnson enjoyed a cozy 82-63 win over Marshall. Given Johnson's advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 401st, while Marshall is ranked 855th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Marc Anthony had a dynamite game for Johnson, scoring 30 points along with seven rebounds and two steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Anthony has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Ian Joshua, who scored nine points along with seven assists and four steals.
Despite the loss, Marshall still got an impressive performance from Josiah Powell, who scored 17 points along with five rebounds and three steals. It was the first time this season that Powell scored 15 or more points. Another player making a difference was Aric Goodman, who scored ten points along with seven rebounds and five assists.
Even though they lost, Marshall were working as a unit and finished the game with 19 assists. This was only their 18th loss (out of 24 games) when they've passed the ball that well.
Johnson's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 13-18. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.7 points per game. As for Marshall, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost 15 of their last 16 matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-23 record this season.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Johnson will take on Lee at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. As for Marshall, they will look to defend their home court on Saturday against Churchill at 12:00 p.m. Churchill is facing Marshall at the right time seeing as Marshall is stuck on a seven-game losing streak.