GRAY DEYOSports Writer

The Tullahoma boys’ basketball team got their fifth win in a row against Marshall County on Jan. 14, as they went on to beat the Tigers 73-63.

Senior forward Xavier Farrell scored a season-high 43 points in the contest. The Tullahoma fourth-year player could not be stopped, helping his squad gain some separation in the third quarter after leading 33-21 at the end of the first half. Farrell scored 13 points in the period, as the Wildcats scored a total of 20 points in the third—outscoring the Tigers 20-11 and gaining a 53-22 lead heading into the fourth period.

“Zay has a motor that just never stops,” head coach of Tullahoma Jason Welch said.

“He cuts hard, sprints hard, and it’s just fundamentally solid. And his teammates are really looking to set him up. He would be ok to score way less, but just does what the defense gives or takes.”

Marshall Co. had a 30+ point scorer of their own in the contest, with Jabrae Howard scoring 31 for the Tigers. Tullahoma was able to hold off most of his strong performance until the fourth quarter where he scored 13 of his 31. And to go with his strong performance in the quarter the Tigers team as a whole played great basketball in the last quarter of play.

The Tigers scored the most points in a period on the night between the two teams with a 31 point output in the fourth. The damage the Wildcats did in the second and third, outscoring Marshall 39-19, however,  neutralized Howard’s performance throughout the game along with his team’s strong showing in the final period, as the lead the Wildcats generated throughout the contest proved to be too much for him and the Tigers to overcome.

Khani Johnson and Austin Tinnon both had good performances, with Tinnon scoring eight points and Johnson scoring 15. The duo’s performance helped bring another wrinkle for the Tigers to think about stopping during Farrell’s career night.

Tullahoma has gained respect from the teams they have taken on this year, and that respect has now filtered to the media. The Tennessee Sports Writing Association ranked the Wildcats as the eighth-best 3A team in the state.

“Kids love to play together, they are unselfish. They are better as a whole than they are alone, and they have fun,” Coach Welch said regarding what makes his team special.

The Wildcats with their win over Marshall improved their record to 16-2. They are hitting their final stretch of the season with 10 games remaining on their schedule, and they will look to climb the TN basketball ranks even further when they take on Central Magnet on Jan. 17.

“One game at a time, nothing won yet,” said Coach Welch on the mindset he wants his players to have closing out the regular season.