War Ready’s run at a TBT championship ended on Sunday afternoon, as the team full of Auburn alumni fell to the No. 1 seed in its region, Herd That 63-59.
Herd That, who is coming off of a semifinals appearance in last year’s event, is composed of mostly Marshall alumni. The contingent of former Thundering Herd have been a staple of “The Basketball Tournament” since 2018, although the team has only reached the quarterfinals twice. That didn’t stop Auburn’s Alumni from nearly taking down the experienced Herd.
[autotag]Wendell Green Jr.[/autotag] and company led the contest end-to-end until the late minutes of the third quarter. Even after surrendering the lead, the Tigers led Herd That 55-49 heading into the “Elam Ending”, which creates a winning target score of 8 points higher than the leading team’s current score.
Unfortunately for War Ready, the bunch ran out of steam in the games final minutes, resulting in yet another disappointing finish in the tournament. The 22-year-old Green led the way for the Tigers with 19 points, while forward Toarlyn Fitzpatrick was the only other War Ready player to contribute double figures. Fitzpatrick, who actually played his college basketball at South Florida, finished 1 rebound shy of a 13-point double-double.
As for Herd That, five players were able to contribute at least eight points. Star forward Jacorey Williams led the way with 13 on an impressive 6/9 from the field.
While another quick exit from War Ready at TBT is disheartening, head coach Marc Hughes has shown year after year he will do whatever it takes to get War Ready back in the fold next summer.
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