Marion girls clipped in double OT

Katey Ehrlich shoots for two in the midst of three Berean defenders Tuesday night. Ehrlich scored six points in Marion?s 35-34 double-overtime loss.In the first meeting earlier this season between Marion and Berean Acad?emy, the Marion girls led from start to finish.

Tuesday?s rematch did not follow the same storyline.

The teams battled back and forth in a tightly contested game that ended with two overtimes and a one-point Berean victory, 35-34.

?We didn?t start very well,? coach Kelly Robson said. ?We started pretty bad, actually, and (the girls) stayed with it. They hung in there.

?Berean normally is an up-the-line, on-the-line kind of defensive team in their man-to-man, and they decided to really play back. Kristin Wiebe, their coach, had told me after we played the first time, ?Wow you guys are fast,? and so she was trying to limit our cutting.

?Our girls had to make a big adjustment as the game went along, and I thought they did a pretty good job.?

Berean jumped to a 6-1 start. A basket by Julia Hall brought Marion within 6-3 at the end of the first quarter.

Kaelyn Thierolf tied the score with a three-point play, but Berean surged 5-0 and went on to lead 17-12 at halftime.

Marion turned up its defensive pressure in the second half, and a Kirsten Hansen three-pointer ignited a 7-0 Marion run to take the lead, 19-17, when Megan Richmond scored with 4:15 left in the third quarter.

Berean answered with six unanswered points to regain the advantage. Hansen scored in the final seconds to bring Marion within 23-21 at the end of the quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Katey Ehrlich scored off a Thierolf steal to tie the score. But consecutive scores by Berean put Marion in a deficit again.

Thierolf scored to bring Marion within 27-25 with 2:15 to play, a margin that held until the final seconds when Ehrlich scored on a second-chance basket at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.

Richmond scored five seconds in to put Marion in front, 29-27. Berean missed a one-and-one opportunity and later turned the ball over, but Marion coughed the ball up, and two Berean free-throws evened the score at 29 with less than a minute left.

Marion again turned the ball over, and a last-second shot by Berean missed its mark, sending the game into double overtime.

Berean scored first this time, but Kelli Hess hit a three-pointer that pushed Marion ahead, 32-31. Marion endured some costly turnovers, and Berean reclaimed a 33-32 lead with two free throws.

Hansen scored with 50 seconds left to give Marion a 34-33 lead, but two free throws again pushed Berean in front, 35-34.

After another Marion turnover, Marion was forced to foul with 4.3 seconds left on the clock. Neither free-throw fell for Berean, but a last-second shot by Ehrlich missed the mark.

?It didn?t go our way, but I can?t feel bad about it,? Robson said. ?I?m not sure we played our best. I wish we could?ve rebounded better for the main thing, but no, I was really proud of them.?

Hess led Marion with 10 points.

Coming?Marion is the third seed in the Cougar Classic tournament at Cen?tre this week.

The Warriors were scheduled to open play Tuesday against No. 6 Wakefield. Marion will play again Friday at either 4 p.m. or 7 p.m. and Saturday at either 2 p.m. or 5 p.m.

A complete schedule was not available at press time. Check hillsborofree?press.com for same-night coverage.

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