Girls
The Marion girls came back from last week?s loss to defeat Bennington, 52-32, for the Warriors? homecoming tonight.
?Winning is always good,? said Warriors coach Randy Savage. ?It?s a step in the right direction. We did some things better, and we?ve still got some things we need to work on.?
The Warriors started off the first quarter with a nine-point scoring run, holding the Bulldogs to seven points during the entire stretch. The Warriors continued to build a solid lead over the Bulldogs, not allowing them within five points in the first half.
The Warriors led the Bulldogs by 11 points, 26-15, going into the locker room at halftime.
Although the Bulldogs did not let the Warriors extend their lead much beyond 10 points in the third quarter, the Warriors maintained a very comfortable double-digit lead. The Warriors led, 43-26, at the break, thanks to a buzzer three-point shot from senior Donna Cady. Cady was announced during the boys? game halftime festivities to have been chosen as the Warriors? homecoming queen.
The Bulldogs mustered a brief scoring run in the last few minutes of the game, holding the Warriors scoreless while they put six points on the board, but the Warriors responded with a nine-point scoring run that gave them the final victory, 52-32.
?We just try to get a little bit better each game,? said Savage.
Whitney Gordon had a stand-out performance for the Warriors, leading them in scoring with an impressive 24 points for the night. Katey Ehrilich also had a strong night for the Warriors, putting up 15 points.
The Bulldogs had one player in the double digits, with Shelby Modin scoring 10 points.
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Boys
The Marion boys took down Bennington tonight, 51-43, seeming to recover their stride after their last two losses to Council Grove and Berean. The Warriors scored 26 points off Bulldog turnovers, a factor that likely played a key role in their victory.
?If we can create some easy points off our defense, that?s really going to help us,? said Warriors coach Jeff McMillan. ?We were aggressive?we knew they struggle with handling the ball.?
The Warriors came out strong with a 10-point scoring run to begin the game, keeping the Bulldogs scoreless for the first five minutes of play time. However, the Bulldogs retaliated with a 10-point scoring run of their own, tying the game just before the first break.
A three-point shot from the Bulldogs? right after the break put them ahead by one point, 15-14, but a basket from the Warriors Jordan Hett gave them back a one-point lead. The Warriors continued to keep ahead of the Bulldogs, leading 26-20 going into the locker room at halftime.
The Warriors suffered a dry spell in the third quarter, a reality which has been characteristic of their play in past games. However, they managed to fight through it and score eight points, helped by two three-pointers from Hett and Mikael Antoszyk in the last seconds of the quarter. The Warriors kept their lead throughout the third quarter, holding off the Bulldogs 34-29 at the break.
The game tightened a bit in the last few minutes of the game, with the Bulldogs drawing within three points several times early in the fourth quarter, though they never regained the lead.
The Warriors extended their lead again in the last couple minutes of the game, claiming the victory with a final score of 51-43.
McMillan said the Bulldogs did a good job putting the Warriors on their heels in the third quarter, but he praised his team?s effort to struggle through it.
?We had a little lapse in the third,? said McMillan. ?We fought through it and put some points up.?
Hett racked up an impressive 26 points on the night, coming back to prove he can be a powerful force on the hardwood for the Warriors. Jordan Versch also had a solid game with 12 points and several key defensive plays and rebounds.
?He can do that,? McMillan said of Hett?s performance. ?I expect to see a lot of those games in the coming years. He?s a good player.?
Zach Fief hit double digits for the Bulldogs with 13 points.
