Jon Hightower battles his way to the rim and draws the foul in the first quarter against Marshall County. He led the Rockets with 16 points. (Post Photo by Chris Siers)
By CHRIS SIERS
csiers@bedfordcountypost.com
CHAPEL HILL — It’s not how you start, but how you finish a game.
And the Forrest Rockets showcased that to a tee on Tuesday night at home against their in-county rivals from Marshall County.
The Rockets outscored the Tigers 39-27 in the second half and held on for a 60-55 thriller of a victory.
Just six Rockets found their way to the scoring column, but four of the six hit double figures.
Jon Hightower was a workhorse for the Rockets, battling his way to the line where he cashed in on 5-of-11 attempts, but rallied for seven fourth-quarter points.
Andruw Myers collected all 14 of his points in the second half, which included a perfect 6-of-6 effort at the charity stripe.
Forrest needed the collective balance to counter Marshall County’s Ke’Marion Allen, who went for a game-high 24 points.
Allen flexed a balance of driving to the rim, as well as knocking down perimeter shots.
He shot a game-best five three-pointers.
Marshall County appeared to gain the upper hand in the first half after building a 13-12 first-quarter lead and built on its lead with a 15-point second quarter effort.
Keadryn Cross elevates for a mid-range pull-up jumper against Forrest. He finished with 11 points for the Tigers. (Post Photo by Chris Siers)
Allen scored nine in the second period, while the Tiger defense held the Rockets to just nine points.
But half-time adjustments got the Rocket offense flowing as Myers erupted for 10 points and Alex Evans and Rylan Anderson both knocked down timely three-pointers to help Forrest match Marshall County’s 19 points.
The difference came when Forrest was able to slow down the game in the fourth quarter and connect on key free throws in the stretch, while limiting the Tiger offense to just eight points, including just three made field goals.
Forrest played through its size advantage in the paint late in the game, with Josh Doud banking seven points in the fourth, while Hightower came through with key baskets to knock down seven more for his team best.
Joining Hightower and Myers in double figures for the Rockets were Anderson and Doud, who finished with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Keadryn Cross joined Allen in double figures for the Tigers and finished with 11 points.
Marshall Co. 13 15 19 8 — 55
Forrest 12 9 19 20 — 60
Marshall Co.: Ke’Marion Allen 24, Keadryn Cross 11, Kaisen Daugherty 9, Jemeelan Johnson 9, Jimmy Perkins 2.
Forrest: Jon Hightower 16, Andruw Myers 14, Rylan Anderson 12, Josh Doud 11, Josiah Willis 4, Alex Evans 3.
3-Point goals: Forrest (6): Anderson 4, Evans, Hightower; Marshall Co. (9): Allen 5, Daugherty 3, Johnson.
Halftime score: Marshall Co. 28, Forrest 21.