In a game that was back and forth throughout the opening three-and-a-half quarters, the Marquette boys basketball team grabbed the momentum and didn’t let it go against rival Putnam County in Saturday’s Tri-County Conference contest at R.M. Germano Gym in Granville.

With the game tied, the Crusaders (19-6, 6-1) closed out the third period on a 16-6 run to take control and eventually posted a 55-43 triumph over the host Panthers (8-18, 1-6).

Marquette led 12-8 after one quarter and 22-17 at halftime.

“I thought we had good offensive looks most of the game, especially in the third quarter where we were able to build a lead,” Marquette coach Todd Hopkins aid. “(Putnam County) makes you play a little different than your used to and you have to be careful you don’t get in a hurry and take what they give you. I thought we did a pretty good job of working to get the best shot.”

Marquette’s Alec Novotney started the game-changing burst with a 3-pointer from the top of the key to break a 24-all deadlock with six minutes to go in the third. Blayden Cassel and Lucas Craig followed with a pair of hoops each around another Novotney triple to extend the lead to 40-30 entering the final quarter.

“I also thought we played a pretty good defensive game,” Hopkins said. “We went to a 1-3-1 zone in the second half when we had a 10 to 12 points lead and it was pretty effective.”

Marquette - which finished 20 of 45 [44%] shooting and held a 32-26 rebound margin - pushed its advantage to as many as 13 in the final eight minutes.

Novotney led Marquette with a game-high 19 points to go along with 10 rebounds and four assists. Craig and Cassel (eight rebounds) each added 10 points, while Luke McCullough posted eight points, eight rebounds and a trio of blocks.

Two of Cassel’s points came on a thunderous right-handed break-a-way dunk early in the second quarter.

“That was my first in game dunk,” Cassel said. “I was going to go crash for [an offensive] rebound, but I saw I was probably not going to get there in time, so I backed off. Alec got the rebound and I just started running down the court. He got me the ball in stride, and I just went up with it. I really wasn’t thinking dunk at all, but when I went up, I was just there and did it.

“My job is to get rebound and play good defense, but getting a chance to do that was pretty nice.”

Putnam County was solid in the first half on both ends of the floor. A pair of 3-pointers by Alan Castro in the first and Johnathon Stunkel netting all nine of his team’s points in the second kept the game close.

A drive by Stunkel and a rebound hoop from Castro tied the game in the third before Marquette’s key run.

Stunkel netted a team-best 13 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Traxton Mattingly added 11 points, including three 3-pointers, and five rebounds, while Castro finished with 10 points and four rebounds.

Putnam County hit 17 of 42 [41%] from the field and lost the turnover margin 14-10.

“Having a really good first half and then having a poor stretch in the third quarter has been an Achilles’ heel for us all season,” Putnam County coach Jared Sale said. “In that stretch (of the third quarter) we gave up a few second chances on the defensive end, and I thought other than those few minutes we did a pretty good job keeping them off the boards.

“Then on the offensive end took a couple took a couple of shots that we wouldn’t have taken in the first half because we were being patient.

“It comes down to we had a bunch of little mistakes in the final four minutes of the third quarter that all added up into going from being tied to down 12. We just couldn’t get back into the game after that.”

Putnam County is back in action Monday hosting ROWVA/Williamsfield. Marquette takes the floor again on Tuesday on the road against Marmion.