ORIGINALLY WRITTEN ERIN RICHMOND
The Marion Warrior girls struggled to find some offense Friday night, shooting only 31 percent from the field in a 63-39 loss against the Ellinwood Eagles.
Both teams came out ready to play in the first quarter, and the score remained close. Marion pulled ahead, 15-14, as the quarter ended.
The Eagles dominated early in the second quarter with a 6-0 run that ended when Allie Maddox made a basket with three minutes remaining.
Ellinwood, looking to enlarge the lead, went on another 7-0 run with 10 seconds left in the period. The 23-4 edge in the quarter gave the Eagles a 37-19 lead at halftime.
“Coach (Daryl) Enos thought we needed to work on our ball handling, and minimize the turnovers,” Kari Tajchman said of his halftime instructions. “Crib shots really hurt us in the first half.”
The Warriors started the third quarter with a 2-point shot by Allie Maddox, only to be shut down by the Eagles with a 13-0 run.
Toni Gordon ended the run with a layup with 1:43 left in the quarter.
When Gordon tried to stop a layup, she picked up her third foul, relegating her to the bench. Megan Hudson stepped up with a steal and a layup making the score 57-29 with 20 left in the quarter.
Five turnovers in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter did not help the Warrior cause. Baskets by Erica Geis, Hudson, and Maddox had them outscoring the Eagles 10-4.
Playing aggressive defense, Maddox received her fifth foul with 2:15 left on the clock. Hudson made one last basket, making the final margin 24 points.
Leading scorer for the Warriors was Maddox with 12 points, followed by Hudson with 10. Marion out-rebounded the Eagles 54-46.
Chelsea Malone (26) and Shawna Robl (21) combined for 47 of Ellinwood’s 63 points.
Coming-The Warriors enter into the Hillsboro Trojan Classic with a season record of 3-6. They were scheduled to play Wamego Monday night followed by Belleville on Tuesday.
Both games were to be played in Marion. The Warriors will play again Saturday to determine their place in the six-team tournament.
