CITY GIRLS 3-A : Marshall Beats University With Big Second Half

Senior guard Laura Oki scored 18 points and center Tara Walker got eight points in the decisive third quarter to lead Marshall past University, 45-32, Friday for its second consecutive City 3-A Division girls’ basketball title.

In the first of four City finals at the Sports Arena, the Barristers wore down the taller Warriors in the second half.

With 6-foot-1 senior center Shaney Fink and 5-10 sophomore forward Alana Collins controlling the boards, University trailed the top-seeded Barristers, 18-17, at halftime.

However, in the second half, Oki took charge with penetrating scoring drives and deft passes inside to Walker, a 5-10 junior who did not score in the first half.

Marshall (24-3) outscored University (17-4) in the third quarter, 14-6, and any chances the Warriors had for a victory were ruined when Collins, who scored 14 points and had 17 rebounds, fouled out less than a minute into the fourth quarter.

University didn’t exactly help itself by shooting 17.8% from the field, making 13 of 73 shots. Collins made only six of 24 shots and Fink made four of 14. Marshall wasn’t much better. The Barristers made just 15 of 57 shots, or 26.3%.

Marshall’s second-year Coach Wendy Triplett is 42-5, and the Barristers’ 24 wins this season were the most in school history.