Tuesday night at the Campbell Center a highly anticipated match up was in full effect as the Madison Marlins took on the Aldine Mustangs.

The Marlins are coming off a big win against Katy Taylor, in which Madison guard Tommy Mason-Griffin put up 46 points to lead his team to victory. The Marlins would need another big night out of Griffin, as Aldine forward Gary Johnson has been a force to be reckoned with during the regular season and the playoffs.

Both teams did a good job in the first quarter setting up their frontcourt offenses and putting points on the board. Both defenses were having trouble stopping their opponents go-to-guy (Johnson and Griffin) leading to a high-scoring first quarter. Aldine earned a 21-18 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

The second period went like the first, as Johnson and Griffin were unstoppable. The only difference was that Johnson found himself in foul trouble when he was hit with his third personal with several minutes remaining in the half. However, Johnson was still able to drop 21 points in the first half.

“Johnson is a heck of a player,” explained Madison coach Craig Maura. “You can’t stop him, you just have to try and contain him.”

Johnson’s containment was Griffin dropping in 21 points in the first half. The Mustangs still took a 40-38 lead heading into halftime.

The Marlins came out fired up in the second half and started the third quarter on a 10-0 run. However, Johnson was back in the line-up for the Mustangs and ended the Aldine drought with a three-point play the old fashioned way. However, the Marlins would not let up, as they took advantage of some wide-open three-pointers and trips to the foul line. Heading into the final period, Madison was in control 65-55.

The Mustangs dug themselves into a hole and were never able to fight their way out of it. The Marlins controlled the tempo the remainder of the game and went on to earn an 87-73 victory.

This might be an unexpected victory for the Marlins, but they proved themselves as a team that can ball with the best of best.

“We haven’t been getting any love from the press,” said Maura. “But we play better with a chip on our shoulder so that’s okay with us.”

The Marlins had three players in double figures, as Griffin dropped in 37, Joe Lawson contributed 20, and Richard Brown added 13 as well. Leading the way for Aldine was Gary Johnson with a game-high 41 points.

Tune into the Athletes Connection to see who will be playing whom in the next round.

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