Marion teams finish third in Classic with sweep of Eureka

The Marion basketball teams each earned third-place finishes by sweeping Eureka Saturday to conclude the Marion Classic.

Kourtney HansenGirls—Marion earned a narrow, 41-39 victory Saturday. Kourtney Hansen led the scoring effort 23 points to lead all scorers.

In the first quarter, Marion trailed, 4-3, but used a 6-0 run to take the lead by the end of the period, 9-4. Sam Richmond scored two baskets off turnovers during that stretch to pave the way.

Eureka outscored Marion in the second quarter, 13-10. After the Warriors built a 13-5 lead, Eureka scored seven in a row to draw within 13-12. The Tornadoes later took the lead, 16-15. Marion regained the lead by halftime, 19-17, thanks to a pair of free throws by Taelyn Pagel and a two-point basket by Hansen.

Hansen scored the first four points of the third quarter, and Pagel followed with a three-pointer to stretch Marion’s lead to 26-17, the Warriors’ largest of the night. Eureka, however, outscored Marion, 12-7 after that, closing within 33-29 at the final break.

The Warriors took a six-point lead when Richmond scored at the 6:22 mark, but then it dwindled to two, 35-33. The teams traded scores, and Marion clung to a 41-39 lead after Eureka made two free throws with 21 seconds to play. A Warrior foul gave Eureka the ball, but Marion regained possession after a held ball and went on to win by that same score.

In addition to her 23 points, Hansen grabbed 13 rebounds and had seven steals. Marion shot 42 percent from the field (15-for-36), compared with 39 percent (12-for-31) for Eureka.

Noah DalrympleBoys—Marion earned a 48-44 victory in overtime Saturday.

The Warriors fell behind early as the Tornadoes took an 11-6 lead after one quarter of play. Marion trailed, 15-8, with 4:05 left in the half, but from there, the Warriors went on an 11-2 run to take the lead by halftime, 19-17.

Evann Heidebrecht and Zachary Stuchlik each scored three points during the third quarter, but Eureka won the period and held a 30-29 lead at the end of it.

The Warriors regained the lead when Nathan Baldwin scored on a second-chance basket, 33-32. Mason Pedersen grabbed a steal and scored, then Baldwin scored again for a 37-32 margin with 3:01 left in regulation. But Eureka outscored Marion, 6-1 after that to tie the game and send it to overtime.

Peyton Heidebrecht scored off a steal to give Marion the early lead, but Eureka fired back with a three-pointer. Pedersen scored on a traditional three-point play and Noah Dalrymple made a two-pointer to give Marion the lead for good, 45-41.

The Tornadoes trimmed the margin to 45-44 with 38 seconds left, but the Warriors made three of four free-throws attempted after that to nail down the win.

Pedersen scored 14 points to lead the team. Stuchlik added nine, and Dalrymple and Baldwin each scored eight.

Coming—Marion will compete in the HOA-CPL challenge next week. The girls will play Bluestem Friday at 3 p.m. at Central Christian College in McPherson. The boys will play Belle-Plaine Saturday at 1:15 p.m. at McPherson College.

For scores and updates during games, follow Janae on Twitter @janaerem13

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