Kentfield—It came down to the final seconds, but Marin was able to escape Ukiah with a victory over the Mendocino Eagles. For the second straight game Marin went into a hostile environment and saw the game come down to the final few possessions but managed to emerge unscathed. This victory, an 81-79 final, came down to the wire and required some clutch free throw shooting to seal the deal.
The game started out less than ideally for Marin as they found themselves on the wrong side of a 10-3 score. A timeout from Coach Collins stopped the run and set Marin back on track, they soon took the lead thanks to a hot shooting night from freshman Brandon Barrett. Barrett hit three shots from deep in the first half to help Marin open up a 42-37 point lead going into the locker rooms at the intermission.
Marin stayed in control for the vast majority of the second half, opening up leads as large as 12 throughout the course of the half. However, the Eagles would not allow the game to be decided without a fight. With under a minute to play Mendocino had brought the game to a one point affair with Marin leading 77-76. Noel Crabtree, who had been held scoreless in the second half found himself wide open in the win and fired a three that put Mendocino on top for the first time since midway through the first half. With the fans going wild, and suddenly down two, Marin went to work as the clock began working against the Mariners.
Precise passing against the Mendocino matchup zone found Keiland Callum who drove inside and tied the game at 79. The Eagles pushed the ball down the court and tried for the go-ahead bucket but Callum was laying in wait. He rejected the shot, his third block of the night, and redirected the miss to a teammate who quickly got the ball across half court and called timeout with 14 seconds left in regulation. After drawing up a play during the stoppage it was Ty Davis who had the ball in his hands as time was running out in the game. Davis began his drive with under 10 seconds left and in going up to try to take the lead for Marin he was fouled, sending the freshman to the line with just 2.7 seconds remaining in a tied game with a chance to take the lead. Davis showed no ill effects from the pressure of having the fate of the game in his hands as he hit both of his free throws to put Marin up 81-79. A last second heave fell short for the Eagles and Marin escaped with the victory to remain perfect in Bay Valley Conference play.
Brandon Barrett led Marin in points, finishing with 23, going 5-8 from deep. Ty Davis finished with 21, his second straight game of at least 20 points. Keiland Callum notched a double-double, his fifth of the year, and extended his double-digit scoring streak to eight game after he put up 14 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Noah Everly finished with 10 points, meaning he has scored in double digits the last five games for Marin.
Marin plays again on the road for the third time in a row on Saturday to wrap up a challenging week. The Mariners will visit Contra Costa (14-6) and tip things off at 1:00.
Be sure to listen to the game live online through College of Marin Radio.