By Javon Edmonds
Saturday started off with fireworks as Team Family Over Everything defeated Team Competitive Training Company 83-82 behind forward Marcus Morris’ 22 points, sharing Co-Player of the Game with his twin brother Markieff who scored 21 points. The twins also had help from fellow Kansas Jayhawk Thomas Robinson who ended the day with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
The game ran high with emotions as both Eric Paschall and Markus Kennedy, former Villanova Wildcats, received technicals. Paschall jawed back and forth with officials about foul calls for almost the whole game.
The second quarter also saw the matchup of Jay Nixon and former Rhode Island guard Fatts Russell as Nixon picked up the two-time All-Atlantic selection full court and effectively shut him down.
The Morris twins walked into Tom Gola Arena at approximately 1:19, starting the countdown to F.O.E. and CTC’s elimination game to start Day Three of the 2022 Danny Rumph Classic.
Marcus wasted no time scoring as he dominated the game in isolations for much of the first quarter. After seeing enough baskets go through, the current LA Clipper made sure to remind the crowd that he was “fresh out the bed.” This kept up for the first two minutes of the second quarter as Markieff also began to hit some shots.
After one, FOE. held its lead until the 4-minute 15-second mark of the third quarter when CTC tied the game at 54. To finish the quarter, Marcus and Paschall traded post-up baskets on each other before Marcus ran away from the showdown, leading FOE to a 68-63 advantage entering the fourth.
A technical foul on Paschall early in the fourth led to the officials cracking down a bit more and, at the 5:05 mark, CTC tied the game at 71 after a 1-shot technical resulting from a Thomas Robinson delay of game. After gaining a 75-71 lead inside the 4-minute mark, CTC saw its lead slip away after a questionable no-call resulting in a blocked Russell layup late in the game.
With 16.9 seconds left and a chance to tie the game at 83, Russell split a pair of free throws to trim his team’s deficit to one. CTC then failed to capitalize on an F.O.E. turnover and allowed a Markus Kennedy offensive rebound on a missed Robinson free throw to end the game.
