1A boys basketball state championship: Earle survives rival Marked Tree for 11th state title

Earle wins first state championship since 2018, 11th all-time

Justin Manning

Earle defeared 1A-3 foe Marked Tree twice in the regular season, then fell to the Indians in the 1A-2 Regional Tournament semifinals. The Bulldogs (25-4) refused to be denied in the season's fourth meeting as Earle slipped past Marked Tree (29-7) 48-44 to win the 1A state championship, their 11th in school history and first since 2018.

Bulldogs junior guard Ta'Ron Hurst was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1A state tournament, finishing with a game-high 20 points on 7 of 15 shooting, as well as three rebounds and two assists. Dawon Smith led Marked Tree with 13 points while Jonah Walker finished with a double-double, scoring 11 points and pulling down 10 rebounds.

Pregame

For the third consecutive season, Marked Tree has reached the 1A state final and will face off against 1A-3 foe Earle. These are two of the more established small-school programs as Earle is here for the 13th time, and the Indians are making their eighth trip.

Marked Tree (29-6) redeemed itself last March with state final victory over Nevada to claim its first state title since 1991 after a devastating finish against County Line the previous season, when the team lost on a buzzer-beating layup. The Indians have won 13 of their past 14 games.

The Indians have been impressive particularly behind the three-point line in 2024-25, connecting on 45% of their shots. DJ Stacy (80% FT), Jonah Walker (3 bpg, 75% FT), Ken Carter, Landon Lewis and JayKamion Williams make up the starting five for Marked Tree.

The Bulldogs (24-4) bested Marked Tree in the two regular-season matchups, but the Indians earned some redemption in the 1A-2 Regional Tournament semifinal round. The loss to the Indians was Earle's only defeat in the past 20 games.

Junior Ta'Ron Hurst has been outstanding for the Bulldogs, as he leads the team in averaging 24 points and eight assists, along with seven rebounds and four steals, while classmate Derrick Lately Jr. averages 16 points, nine rebounds, seven steals and five assists per contest. Additional starters include senior Jaylin Robinson (15 ppg, 8 rpg, 3 apg, 3 spg), junior Clifton Wren (11.5 ppg, 10 rpg, 3 spg, 2 apg) and sophomore Antonius Dorsey (10 ppg, 5 rpg, 3 apg, 3 spg).

(Updates will appear here after the game starts.)

Final: Earle 48, Marked Tree 44

The Bulldogs survive and win their 11th state championship in school history, fourth in the past decade.

Fourth quarter

Earle 47-44, :16

Hurst hits two crucial free throws.

Earle 45-44, :27

Play is paused due to an injured player following a Marked Tree turnover. Aiden Davis is being helped off of the court with what looks to be an injured ankle.

Earle 45-44, :51

Carter is back at the line, he connects on one of two. Timeout Marked Tree.

Earle 45-43, 1:32

Marked Tree turns it over and Earle calls time on the other end.

Earle 45-43, 2:17

Two free throws are successful by Walker and the Indians are closing in.

Earle 42-39, 3:20

Carter hits one of two free throws to cut it to a one possession game.

Earle 42-38, 3:45

Dawon Smith hits a layup on the fast break and is fouled. Following a media timeout his and-one is no good. The Indians are on a 11-0 run.

Earle 42-32, 5:49

Dawon Smith gets a layup of his own and is fouled, and-one is good.

Earle 42-27, 6:42

Aiden Davis is fouled on a successful layup. And-one is good to increase the Earle lead by even more.

Third quarter

End of 3rd: Earle 39-27

Earle absolutely dominated that frame as Marked Tree was held to just five points, three of which were via free throws.

Earle 39-27, :51

Landon Lewis gets a layup and is fouled. And-one is no good.

Earle 34-24, 4:21

A steal and layin by Jalyn Robinson gives Earle a double-digit advantage. Marked Tree calls time.

Earle 30-22, 5:33

Ken Carter is fouled hard attempting a three, he hits two of three. That breaks an Earle 8-0 run dating back to the end of the second quarter.

Halftime: Earle 26-22

Earle responds to Marked Tree's momentum with a 4-0 run to finish the first half. Hurst still leads everyone as he is now up to 14 points. Williams leads Marked Tree with nine. Marked Tree is shooting an impressive 50% from three-point range.

Second quarter

Earle 22-21, 2:01

Williams hits a three from the left corner, his second of the game to cut the Bulldog lead to four, then Ken Carter connects on one of his own to make it a one-point contest. Timeout Earle.

Earle 22-15, 3:36

Buckets are being traded as the Bulldogs are holding on tight to the lead. Hurst is giving the Indians fits with 12 points on 5 of 7 shooting. Media timeout.

First quarter

End of 1st: 14-10

Marked Tree had a chance to cut it to one possession right before the horn, but the Bulldogs still have the adavantage. Hurst leads all scorers with six.

Earle 12-7, 1:53

Marked Tree's Ja'Kaymion WIlliams connects on a three to cut into the Earle run.

Earle 8-2, 3:39

The Bulldogs have answered Marked Tree's opening bucket with an 8-0 run. Media timeout.

Earle 6-2, 4:10

Earle connects on another three by Hurst and Marked Tree Coach Barbara Wilburn calls a timeout.

Earle 3-2, 4:44

Ta'Ron Hurst puts Earle on the board.

Marked Tree 2-0, 7:24

Jonah Walker scores the first points of the game on a layup.

We are underway in the final game of the 2024-25 season!

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