Foot Race COURTESY PHOTO BY KAREN COLLINS Port Aransas High School Marlins player Cody Collins races down court with two Three Rivers Bulldogs players. The Port Aransas Marlins came close to going 3-1 in the tournament in Tilden Dec. 7-9.

The Marlins beat Pleasanton, 44-41, and whipped Karnes City, 71-36; but fell to San Isidro, 62-41, and lost a squeaker to Three Rivers, 57-56.

“We were one possession away from going 3-1” in the tournament, Coach Mark Spencer said, referring to the clash with Three Rivers, a game that was decided in the final seconds. “So, I was happy with the way we competed.”

In the first game of the Tilden tournament, against the Three Rivers Bulldogs, the Marlins were down by 20 points in the third quarter before they came storming back to eventually take a one-point lead in the fourth quarter.

Spencer said the surge was the result of good work by the bench and a powerful performance by starter Matt White, who scored 10 points in the third quarter. Also, the team went 11 of 12 in free throwing. MARLINS 56 Scramble STAFF PHOTO BY DAN PARKER From left, Brundrett Middle School Marlins seventh-grade players Matt Fries, Thomas Winton and Ely Bennett battle with Woodsboro players for the ball. BULLDOGS 57 SCORING     QUARTERS             BY PA         9       6     21     20     56 TR       13     16     17     11     57

SCORERS: REID COPELAND, 10; CHARLIE WALKER, 4; MATT DUNTON, 10; DRAKE

SAWYER, 7; MATT WHITE, 23.

Although the Marlins beat the Pleasanton Eagles in the next game, Spencer said he was unhappy with his team's play.

The Marlins were up by 12 with only a few minutes left to play, but they broke down and ended up almost losing to the Eagles. The Port Aransas players missed 11 of 15 free throws in the fourth quarter.

Spencer said it was his team's second game of the day, so fatigue may have played a role in the players' performance. PORT ARANSAS MARLINS 44 PLEASANTON EAGLES 41 SCORING     QUARTERS             BY PA         6     14     12     12     44 PL       10       3       8     20     41

SCORERS: COPELAND, 4; WALKER, 1; DUNTON, 6; SAWYER, 4; CODY COLLINS, 6; WHITE, 9; MICHAEL JENNINGS, 3;

PHILLIPS, 6; JASON ARDOIN, 5.

On the second day of the tournament, the Marlins faced the San Isidro Tigers. The Marlins were competitive throughout the game except in the second quarter, when they were outscored 24-5. “They got hot,” Spencer said later.

San Isidro, which went deep into the playoffs last year, is loaded with six seniors on its team. PORT ARANSAS MARLINS     41 SAN ISIDRO TIGERS             62 SCORING     QUARTER             BY PA       10       5     14     12 41 SI       10     24     20       8 62

SCORERS: COPELAND, 6; WALKER, 5; DUNTON, 10; SAWYER, 1; COLLINS, 2;

WHITE, 6; JENNINGS, 4; ARDOIN, 7.

The Marlins did something unusual in their final game of the tournament. Spencer had them play full-court, man-to-man defense for the entire game – something the players had not done previously this season.

The strategy worked well, as they trounced Karnes City, 71-36. Standouts included Michael Jennings, who “did a great job against their zone,” Spencer said. Jennings piled up 24 points for the Marlins. PORT ARANSAS MARLINS     71 KARNES CITY BADGERS       36 SCORING     QUARTERS             BY PA       15     21     19     16 71 KC       4     12       5     15 36

SCORERS: COPELAND, 9; WALKER, 5; BURT, 3; SAWYER, 10; COLLINS, 6; WHITE, 7; JENNINGS, 24; PHILLIPS, 4; ARDOIN, 3.