The high school basketball game in Kentucky between Marshall County and McCracken County ended with the student section on the court to celebrate an electric buzzer-beater. Unfortunately, one of the players on the losing team could not keep his cool, which led to a heated altercation with a coach on the winning team.
It was yet another dramatic moment in the Bluegrass State.
There have been multiple high school basketball brawls across Kentucky in the last week. Fortunately, the latest incident did not get too far out of hand.
McCracken County defeated Marshall County on a buzzer-beater.
Marshall County High School is located in the small town of Benton, Kentucky. Established in 1974, it enrolls approximately 1,200 students from all over the entire county— including Draffenville, Calvert City, and Hardin, among others. The campus sits in the easternmost corner of the state.
McCracken County High School is located west of Paducah, Kentucky. Opened in 2013, it is one of the newest high schools in the state with a total enrollment of ~2,000 students. The campus is also located in the easternmost corner of the state, even 30 miles further east of Marshall County.
McCracken County entered Thursday night’s contest at 14-3, ranked No. 14. Marshall County entered at 13-4, ranked No. 19.
A top-20 boys high school basketball matchup in the state of Kentucky lived up to expectations in front of a packed house. It came down to the final possession.
The Mustangs had the ball with 1.4 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The score was tied at 67. They brought the ball up the court and passed to the corner. Garrett Miller hit a triple at the buzzer for the win.
Students immediately stormed onto the court to celebrate. Here is how it went down on the broadcast:
Here is another look from the stands:
BOYS BUZZER BEATER
— Eric Chumbler (@EricChumbler) January 23, 2026
(13-5) Marshall County-67
(16-3) McCracken County-70
FINAL. Garrett Miller receives the full court pass and hits the fadeaway 3 at the buzzer to give the Mustangs the win.
McCracken Scoring
Miles Woodfork-16
Garrett Miller-16
Owen Grogan-11
Jackson Klope-10… pic.twitter.com/IGtFscPamD
What a finish! These two teams will play again next week. Tensions will not only be heightened because of the buzzer-beater from Thursday, but also because of how things ended just moments thereafter.
The Kentucky high school basketball game ended with a heated altercation.
According to boots on the ground, a Marshall County player sprinted across the court during the storm. He allegedly made contact with a coach from McCracken. There was some kind of push. Maybe a shove.
Whatever it was exactly doesn’t matter.
The coach did not appreciate the opposing (losing) player’s actions. He charged at the Marshals’ sideline in rage, which required him to be forcibly restrained by his fellow assistants and other nearby adults.
I have not seen an explanation for the heated altercation as of this writing. Neither program has released a statement. They are apparently choosing to move on. Fair enough. Next week will be spicy!
I don’t know what is going on with high school basketball in Kentucky but this is the third incident of this nature in the last seven days. One was started by a coach. The other only involved the players.