The Marion High School boys basketball team overcame Jake Green?s 27-point night and beat Remington 54-49 Thursday night.
The Warriors turned the tables on a 17-7 first-quarter deficit by steadily chipping away at the Broncos lead. Remington carried the early lead through six ties, but when Marion finally pulled ahead, it carried the lead through the final horn.
The Marion bench outscored Remington?s 8-0 behind Dane Purkeypile (5) and Jordan Hett (3), but starting forwards Isaac Hett and Eric Vogel combined for 39 points.
Remington made three of six 3-pointers in the first half, but hit just one of eight innn the second half while Marion made just one of eight in the contest.
The Warriors held their own in rebounding despite the presence of Tanner Claassen, whose 12 boards powered the Broncos to a 30-29 advantage in the category.
Marion fought its way to the foul line and hit eight of 10 freebies in the second half, and wound up outscoring Remington 19-10 in the fourth quarter.
In the girls game, the Warriors bounced back from an error-prone Monday night to win the turnover battle 22-14; the extra possessions translated into a 60-40 win in which the Warriors built a 21-point lead in the third quarter.
Kayley Heerey hit six 3-pointers and provided most of the oomph in a 7-for-10 first half effort from the arc.
Before Marion broke the Broncos? spirit, there were four lead changes and three ties. But as Heerey (20 points), Lindsay Hett (17) and Julia Zeiner (12) settled into the rhythm of forcing and finishing off turnovers, Remington fell apart. The Broncos shot 48 percent in the first half, but made just four of 14 shots in the second half.
Hett had six assists and six steals, but as importantly, just one turnover.
Next, Marion plays in the tournament championship games Saturday night against the winners of Friday night?s games. The Peabody-Burns boys take on Berean Academy at 8:15 p.m. The Berean Academy girls play Oxford at 6:45.
If the Peabody-Burns girls defeat Belle Plain at 3 o?clock Friday, they will play for fifth place at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
