Photo by Samantha Davis. Marshall’s Alex Franson drives toward the basket in the first half against Morris Area-Chokio-Alberta Tuesday night at Marshall High School. Franson finished with a team-high 25 points in the Tigers’ 62-55 loss.

MARSHALL — Struggling with offensive consistency, the Marshall boys basketball team suffered a 62-55 loss in the battle of the Tigers against Morris Area-Chokio-Alberta Tuesday night. Alex Franson finished with a team-high 25 points on 71% field goal shooting.

Marshall had trouble with its shooting efficiency throughout the night, but had a consistently strong defensive effort in its press and rebounding. It went into halftime with a 1-point lead, however Morris Area put the game away in the second half behind a string of short runs.

“We worked hard. We just had some moments where we relapsed, and they [Morris] took advantage of it, and they executed it very well,” Marshall assistant coach Derek Long said. “It’s hard when those shots don’t go down, you certainly get a little frustrated, and that goes into the defensive end.”

Along with Franson, Cooper Mensink and Oliver Voigt tallied 8 points each. Voight also led Marshall with eight rebounds.

Marshall shot 36.8% from the field, going 21 of 57 on attempts, and 4 of 25 from the perimeter. It also committed nine turnovers to Morris Area’s seven.

Morris shot slightly better at 37.3% from the field, making 19 of 51 attempts. However, Morris came out strong offensively in the second half to control the game’s pace more in its favor.

Marshall has been trying to right its path after recently dropping three consecutive games to Brandon Valley, S.D., No. 2 Waseca and Harrisburg, S.D., which is the most games the team has dropped in a row this season.

Marshall won its last two prior to Tuesday in response, with a 74-71 win over St. Peter on Friday, and handled Hutchinson Monday night 72-37.

Morris Area also has had a successful season, and entered Tuesday winning four straight and eight of its last 10 games.

Both Marshall and Morris Area traded baskets with one another throughout the night. Marshall’s rebounding effort and a handful of forced turnovers off the press played a significant part in keeping the team either ahead or within reach.

Marshall outrebounded Morris 31-24, 20 of which were defensive boards.

The game remained close up to the final buzzer, with neither team able to build a large lead.

With a 23-22 halftime lead, Marshall needed to particularly improve its shooting to compliment its defense in the second.

“I like to learn from the implements of what they [opposing teams] did, especially when we lose,” Long said. “How they played defense frustrated us a little bit, especially when we weren’t making shots. Offensively, what they were doing to try to get good looks, we needed to kind of adjust our game plan.”

Morris Area took the lead at the start of the second half with a 5-0 run, 28-23. Franson halted the run with a fast break layup off a defensive rebound, and collected a charge immediately after to bring Marshall within 3 points.

Franson kept Marshall’s momentum going with back-to-back field goals, and cut its deficit to 32-29 with 11 minutes of game to go.

“He’s [Franson] a special player. The shots he’s able to make around the hoop, or when he’s flying through the air, it’s crazy,” Long said. “We see it all the time in practice, so it’s not so surprising when you watch him in the game, but it’s really fun. He’s a great kid.”

Mensink drilled in a 3-pointer off the right wing to cut Morris’ lead to 36-34, yet Morris went on an 8-0 run to extend its lead back up.

Marshall tied the game up at 44 with just under five minutes to go behind a Franson jump shot and a putback from Voigt, exerting excitement into the crowd.

Morris Area took a 55-46 advantage after a string of unanswered baskets, but Mensink ended the run with a 3 of his own to bring Marshall within 6 points with a minute to go.

Another 3-point response from Morris brought back the 6-point lead with 45 seconds left, when Marshall began to foul to put the opponents at the foul line.

A good performance at the charity stripe sealed the win for Morris in the final seconds.

“Just keep positive, keep executing and keep getting good shots,” Long said regarding what the coaches told the team through the night. “In the first half, we were getting some good looks, but just weren’t going in.”

Marshall’s full court press flustered Morris Area, especially in the first half, and forced an early 10-second violation when the game was tied early 6-6.

Jack Meier earned Marshall its first lead with back-to-back low post jump shots, 10-6. But, Morris sank a 3-pointer to bring the score quickly back within a point.

Both teams had their fair share of mistakes and scoring droughts.

Franson got a steal and fast break dunk to give Marshall a 16-11 edge after the two teams went scoreless for about two minutes, yet Morris Area hit a free throw and jumper to keep the game within a possession.

The first half ended with a pair of Meier free throws and a Morris offensive putback.

Franson had 7 first-half points, and Meier had 6.

Marshall (16-7) will next take on Tri-City United (0-21) on Friday at 7:15 p.m. to conclude its five-game homestand. The final regular season home game is slated for Feb. 25 at 7:15 p.m.

“I feel good. These guys work really hard,” Long said. “They’re very coachable. It’s been a fun season, so I’m expecting a fun ending to the season.”