Marion lost a pair of non-league games to Council grove Thursday to wrap up a full week of basketball in which the Warriors played five games in seven days. 
Girls?Marion relinquished a 10-point lead in its 59-53 loss to the Braves Thursday.
Aside from a 4-4 tie, Marion trailed the duration of the first quarter. The Braves led by as many as 11-6 and took a 13-9 advantage with a basket as time expired in the period.
Following a Council Grove free throw to start the second quarter, Marshelle Mermis scored to ignite a 7-0 run that also included a Bailey Robson three-pointer and two free throws from Kourtney Hansen for a 16-14 Marion lead. The teams traded baskets, and Kirsten Hansen capped scoring in the quarter with a trey to give the Warriors a 27-26 advantage at halftime.
Marion shot a blistering 65 percent from the field in the first half (11-17), while the Braves made half of their shots (9-18).
Council Grove regained the lead after intermission, but Robson cashed in on a traditional three-point play to put Marion back in front, 33-32. Over the next 2:28, Marion outscored the Braves, 12-3, for a double-digit, 45-35 lead with 1:15 left in the third quarter. Council Grove scored the final four points to make it 45-39 heading into the final quarter.
The Braves further trimmed the lead with a 5-0 run to start the fourth quarter. Robson drained a three to put Marion back up by four, but a Brave trey and two free throws left Marion trailing, 49-48, with 3:11 to play. Kourtney Hansen scored Marion?s next four points, but when Marion?s shots missed their mark, Council grove built a 57-52 lead with 50 seconds left. Erika Hess scored Marion?s final point at the charity stripe, and missed opportunities left Marion trailing by six when the final buzzer sounded.
Kourtney Hansen led the Warriors with 19 points. 
Boys?A fourth-quarter rally fell short for Marion in a 60-51 loss to Council Grove Thursday. The Warriors found success offensively, but struggled to defend the Braves, who built a 37-23 halftime lead, thanks to a 23-10 second quarter.
The Warriors got off to a hot start, making their first four attempts from the field for an 8-3 lead. But with Marion leading, 10-5, the Braves scored nine unanswered points. Jack Schneider, who saw his first action since an injury sidelined him five games prior, broke the scoring drought with a three-pointer to end the period, leaving Marion trailing, 14-13.
Evann Heidebrecht drained a three to start the second quarter, but then the Braves went on a second 9-0 run. Dylan Pippin scored with 2:59 left in the half, but the Braves added seven points before Schneider scored on a three-point play. Evann Heidebrecht added a two-pointer, but the damage had been done, leaving Marion trailing, 37-23, at halftime.
The Braves increased their lead to 16 before Mason Pedersen fired off a trey. That was the start of a 7-2 Warrior run. The Braves, however, stretched their lead to 16 by the end of the quarter, 52-36.
Marion?s best quarter was the fourth, as the Warriors scored 15 points while limiting Council Grove to eight.
The Warriors made three of their first four shots in the period to fuel a 7-0 run that trimmed the deficit to nine. Marion further cut it to 56-49 when Pippin scored with 3:29 to play.
Marion missed six of its last seven attempts, however, and Council Grove held on for the nine-point win.
Pedersen and Nicholas Stuchlik shared top scoring honors for Marion with 13 points each.
Coming?Marion will travel to Remington Tuesday.
For scores and updates during games, follow Janae on Twitter @janaerem13
