For  Bridgeport, there is always a football analogy, even during basketball season.
 
Coach Dave Marshall, on the podium after his team's 62-46 loss to North Marion in the Class AAA state semifinals on Friday night, was no exception in referring to his team trailing the whole game except for an initial 3-0 lead.
 
"We had to do something that's not in our best interest defensively and we have to try to do more trapping and more extending the court," Marshall said. "I've always likened it to what we do to our football program over the years. We've got to control the ball and we've got to play good defense.
 
"If we have to become that team that's trying to throw the ball 25 times a game, we're probably in trouble most nights. No matter what the kids think, we're probably in trouble. That's when the games get extended and it becomes more about athlete on athlete."
 
And North Marion's athletes were pretty good on this night, never really letting Bridgeport get comfortable.
 
"I think part of it was the pressure they put on the ball, but especially early, we looked out of sorts," Marshall said. "We were standing. If you went back and compared the film of the East Fairmont game (that Bridgeport won in the quarterfinal round), we were cutting and cutting. We weren't always getting the ball off, but we were causing the defense to move."
 
"We knew it was going to be tough," North Marion coach Steven Harbert said. "We're just blessed that we were able to pull ahead. I thought our guys did a great job executing."
 
And when the jumpers weren't falling, Bridgeport tended to attack a well-defended basket.
 
"We tried to penetrate whenever there's two or three guys right there. The only way you're going to get that penetration is, you've got to move the ball, you've got to cut and open up the gaps and attack them. That got away from us early," Marshall said.
 
"It's a risk/reward with how we play," Harbert said. "We want to play at our pace and our tempo….it's always great to get the lead early and speed people up and make them take quick shots."


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