Marked Tree beats EPC for Jennings title

Marked Tree had to survive a couple three-point attempts at the end of the game to come away with a 44-41 win to the Gerald Jennings Tournament this past Saturday in Marked Tree.

The Marked Tree Indians won the 2024 Gerald Jennings Tournament championship with a win over EPC this past Saturday at Marked Tree.Cosmo Cossey photos

The Indians jumped out at 4-0 lead on back to back baskets in the paint from Jonah Walker before Quincy Perry scored down low for EPC making it 4-2. Walker scored inside again for Marked Tree as Ken Carter went coast to coast for a basket and Landon Lewis hit a jumper pushing the Indians’ lead to 10-2 with 3:08 left in the opening quarter. Tyrus Reel scored inside for EPC, Carter hit one of two free throws for Marked Tree as Jacob Gaines scored in the paint for the Warriors to make the score 11-6 Indians. Lewis hit two free throws for Marked Tree and Walker scored again down low giving the Indians a 15-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The EPC Warriors are the runners-up in the 2024 Gerald Jennings Tournament.Cosmo Cossey photos

Tyrus Reel got a steal and layup for EPC to start the second quarter scoring before the Indians got a steal and layup from Lewis and an old school three-point play from Walker to make the score 20-8 Marked Tree. Tyrus Reel hit a jumper for the Warriors, Walker scored in the paint for Marked Tree, Tyrus Reel hit two free throws for EPC as Walker again scored in the paint making it 24-12 Indians with 3:20 left. Eli Blagg hit a short baseline jumper for the Warriors, Marked Tree got a steal and layup from Lewis and a basket down low from Walker as Perry hit two free throws for EPC to make it 28-16 Indians. Blagg scored inside for the Warriors, Isaiah Malone got inside for a Marked Tree basket as Tyrus Reel hit a three-ball at the buzzer making the halftime score 30-21 Indians.

Dawon Smith canned a three-pointer for Marked Tree’s first points of the third quarter before getting a technical foul for celebrating. Tyrus Reel hit the two technical free throws for EPC to make the score 33-23 Indians early in the quarter. EPC got baskets from Blagg, Tyrus Reel and Gaines to cut the lead to 33-29 as Lewis hit one of two free throws for Marked Tree making the score 34-29 Indians with 3:04 left. Doug Reel hit two free throws for EPC, Josh Rand scored inside for the Indians, Tyrus Reel hit a jumper for the Warriors as Walker scored inside for Marked Tree making it 38-33 Indians. Perry hit triple twine for EPC to cut the lead to 38-36 at the end of three quarters.

Marked Tree’s Landon Lewis goes in for two points as EPC’s Quincy Perry defends during Gerald Jennings Tournament action this past Saturday in Marked Tree.Cosmo Cossey photos

The fourth quarter was a defensive battle with only 11 combined points scored. Tyrus Reel scored off the fast break to tie the game at 38 with 7:24 left as JayKamion Williams hit one of two free throws for Marked Tree making the score 39-38 Indians. Ralyric Watson drilled a three-pointer for Marked Tree before Gaines hit one of two free throws and scored inside for the Warriors to make it 42-41 Indians with 3:42 left. Lewis scored inside for Marked Tree to make it 44-41 as the Indians held on for the win.

“I thought we played a real good first half, and the second half I felt like were kind of stagnated. We had lots of standing around and looking,” Marked Tree head coach Barbara Wilburn said of her team. “When we started doing what we were supposed to be doing, we started to score again. They went to a zone and didn’t penetrate and dish off and we didn’t rebound very well. We’ll get all that worked out,” Wilburn added.

Walker led the Indians with 19 points as Lewis finished with 11 points. Watson, Carter and Smith all scored three points each, Rand and Malone scored two points each as Williams chipped in a point for Marked Tree.

EPC’s Jacob Gaines looks to dribble past Marked Tree’s Ralyric Watson during championship game action this past Saturday in Marked Tree.Cosmo Cossey photos

“Solid effort from my guys against a great Marked Tree team. We are eight days out of football and I’m extremely proud of the way my guys are playing,” EPC head coach JeMarcus Thaxton said after the game. “They have weathered the storm with a tough scheduled at the beginning of the season, I can’t be anything but happy,” Thaxton added.

Tyrus Reel scored 19 points to lead EPC with Perry and Gaines both scoring seven points. Blagg added six points and Doug Reel netted two points for the Warriors.