It was not a game for the faint of heart, both in how it finished and how it was played down in the paint. Collins made 6 of 6 free throws in the final 49 seconds to hold off Madisonville 55-51 in a quarterfinal round matchup at the Chad Gardner King of the Bluegrass at Fairdale High School.
The game was played with a high level of defensive intensity down in the paint from the beginning, with the officials letting them play. Dayvion McKnight got things rolling early, as the Titans jumped out to a 9-4 lead. The lead would still be at five at 13-8 when the quarter ended.
A basket by McKnight early in the second gave Collins its biggest lead of the night at 17-8 with less than a minute gone in the quarter. Kenny White and Cade Cunningham ignited the Maroon offense, as Madisonville then outscored the Titans 15-8 over the rest of the half to trim Collins’ lead to 25-23 at the break. A three in the final seconds by Tyson Turner gave Collins the 2 point margin.
For the second half, it was an intense physical battle, which neither team could seize control of. Until the final 49 seconds of the game, neither team would lead by more than four in the second half.
A shot right before the buzzer by Caleb Hawley put Collins up 35-33 after three.
Keshawn Stone scored seven points in the opening minutes of the 4th quarter to put the Maroons up 43-42. The Maroons had chances at that point to extend the lead and did not, and those would be crucial missed opportunities. With Collins up 47-46, and under a minute to go, Madisonville began fouling to extend the game and increase possessions. However, the Titans were able to knock down the free throws and close out the game.
Cade Cunningham led the Maroons with 13 points. Keshawn Stone added 12. Ksuan Casey had 8 points and 10 rebounds.
Marcellus Vail, who knocked down a couple of huge 3s for Collins, led the Titans with 16 points.
The Maroons now move into the 5th place semifinals.