The 15th-leading scorer in Class 4A boys basketball set a back screen that opened the lane for senior Adam Boone, whose layup provided the exclamation point on the Bobcats’ 58-54 victory over Waterloo East in a raucous Roundhouse atmosphere Friday night.

Clinging to a one-point lead with 13 seconds left, Marshalltown managed to get over the top of Waterloo East’s full-court press to find Boone ahead of the pack. He was caught from behind by East’s Da Sann Means and intentionally fouled, sending Boone to the free-throw line and awarding the ball back to the Bobcats (5-11, 3-4).

Boone made the second free throw for a two-point advantage, and Marshalltown’s ensuing inbounds play was executed to perfection. Smith, who had 26 points, served as a decoy and set the screen that freed Boone for an uncontested look at the basket with 7 seconds left.

“I’m just happy for our guys,” said MHS head coach Michael Appel. “We battled back there and never gave up and made some big-time plays, executed down the stretch when we needed some baskets. We drew some plays up we haven’t necessarily run a ton and we executed well.”

Adam Boone

Smith scored 20 of his team-leading 26 points in the second half of this Iowa Alliance Conference North Division showdown. He finished with five 3-pointers as well as nine rebounds to lead the Bobcats to their second win over the Trojans (7-8, 3-4) in the last three meetings.

LaMar Johnson finished with 14 points, including a pair of pivotal free throws to put Marshalltown on top 53-50 with 25 seconds left. Smith’s two free throws with 19 seconds remaining made it a four-point Bobcat lead, but Quenden Hart canned a long 3-pointer to get Waterloo East back within one with 13 seconds showing.

“Our guys never gave up,” Appel added. “They were determined to win and when we needed to make plays we made it happen.”

Drake Gersema scored seven points and contributed five rebounds and five assists, while Jacob Hayes had five points. Jamison Niehouse had a 3-pointer as well as four assists, and Boone’s three points loomed large at the end.

Da’Shaundis Moore propelled Waterloo East with 28 points in the conference loss, while Hart finished with 13 points. The Trojans led by as many as eight points in the first half but couldn’t put the Bobcats away.

MHS outscored East 24-11 in the third quarter to take a 44-39 lead into the final frame.

Marshalltown resumes with three road games next week: at Ames on Tuesday, at Ottumwa on Thursday and at Des Moines North next Saturday.

Marshalltown 58, Waterloo East 54

WATERLOO EAST (7-8, 3-4) — Quenden Hart 4 2-2 13, Da’Shaundis Moore 10 6-7 28, Da Sann Means 1 1-1 3, Isaiah Thomas 2 2-3 6, Jeremiah Clark 2 0-0 4, Jadyn Perkins 0 0-0 0, Jeremy Waters-Wright 0 0-0 0, Gianni Gary 0 0-0 0, Kamarion Wright 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 19 11-13 54.

MARSHALLTOWN (5-11, 3-4) — Dominyc Clure 0 0-0 0, Adam Boone 1 1-2 3, LaMar Johnson 4 6-9 14, Will Swartz 0 0-0 0, Arion Hancock 0 0-0 0, Jamison Niehouse 1 0-0 3, Drake Gersema 3 1-1 7, Kyle Smith 8 5-6 26, Jacob Hayes 2 0-0 5. TOTALS 19 13-16 58.

W’LOO EAST 16 12 11 15 — 54

MHS 11 9 24 14 — 58

3-Point Goals–WE 5 (Hart 3, Moore 2), MHS 7 (Smith 5, Niehouse, Hayes). Team Fouls–WE 16, MHS 12. Fouled Out–Clark, Niehouse.