There was little expression on Ryan Hare’s face as he talked about his own performance Tuesday evening.
Then the Marshall forward was asked about teammate Davaris Davis, and suddenly Hare resembled a little kid on Christmas morning.
“If Davaris comes to play like that, we’ll win every game,” Hare said after No. 5 Marshall upset No. 2 Farragut 69-65 on the road in the Public League’s Red-West.
Isn’t that putting the pressure on your fellow senior?
“Go ahead and ask Davaris,” Hare said, his smile growing wider.
In a tension-packed second half in which neither team led by more than four points, Davis had the most impact in the fourth quarter. He scored eight of his 11 points in the final eight minutes, staking Marshall (13-3, 5-0) to a 63-61 lead with 1 minute 18 seconds left. Davis also had two critical rebounds and forced a turnover.
Then, it was Hare’s turn. In the final 41 seconds, the 6-foot-3-inch Commando leader hit 5 of 6 free throws to hold off the Admirals. As a team, Marshall finished the game making 8 of 10 foul shots.
“It was time for me to be a leader and to come through in the clutch,” said Hare, who had 14 points and six rebounds. “We knew we were the underdogs.”
And what about Davis? “If I can play like this, we have the talent to blow everybody out,” he said.
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bsakamoto@tribune.com
