Independence falls to Southwind in Class AAA semifinals

MURFREESBORO — Independence’s impressive postseason run came to an end with Friday’s 83-71 Class AAA semifinal loss to Southwind at MTSU’s Murphy Center.

Grayson Murphy tallied 24 points and 11 rebounds to lead Independence, which had won 13 straight games en route to its first-ever state semifinal appearance. But Southwind — led by UT Martin signee Carlos Marshall — was too much for the undersized Eagles.

“He’s big,” Murphy said of 6-foot-7 Marshall, who finished with a game-high 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting. "He’s very big and very physical, and it’s hard to box him out. He hit six or seven mid-range shots and he’s a force down low so he’s hard to guard.”

Corbin Daugherty added 14 points and seven rebounds for Independence (24-11), which hit just three of its first 16 shots from beyond the arc, while teammates McKyan James and Jeremiah Barr combined to score 22.

“Sometimes the ball just doesn’t fall for you,” Eagles coach Greg Glass said. “We kept attacking, and it just seemed like there was a lid on the basket. I think we were able to open it up in the fourth quarter, but by that time you’re down and playing from behind."

Southwind (33-6) will play Memphis East at 1 p.m. Saturday in the championship.

ReachMichael Murphy atmfmurphy@tennessean.com, 615-259-8262 and on Twitter@Murph_TNsports.