The Marion boys held on down the stretch to defeat Ell-Saline, 56-54, Friday for a 1-0 start in Heart of America league play.
The Warriors battled the Cardinals evenly through the first quarter, which ended in a 14-14 tie. Mason Pedersen scored six of his team-high 12 points in the period.
The lead changed hands multiple times in the second quarter. A four-point swing courtesy of Blaine Mermis turned a deficit into a 24-22 Marion lead. The Warriors maintained the advantage at halftime, 25-24.
The teams traded baskets to start the third quarter, then Marion missed its next five attempts from the field. The scoring drought lasted 4:14, allowing the Cardinals to claim the lead, 32-29.
Mermis scored at the 2:52 mark, but Ell-Saline built a 39-33 lead. Evann Heidebrecht scored a traditional three-point play and Pedersen scored off a steal to close the gap to 39-38 by the end of the period.
Marion regained the lead, 46-44, when Nathan Baldwin scored with 5:20 to play. When the Warriors struggled to secure defensive rebounds, the Cardinals took the lead with 1:25 to play, 54-53. Peyton Heidebrecht put Marion back in front with a basket, and Mermis later made one of two charity shots for the final margin. Ell-Saline missed a three-pointer giving Marion the win.
“We weren’t getting good shots within the flow of our offense, so I started calling some specials,” coach Randy Skiles said. “Fortunately, it worked out for us and we got back in the lead.”
Pedersen led the team with 12 points. Mermis added 11 and Zachary Stuchlik 10. Marion is 3-3 for the season.
Coming—Marion was scheduled to host Remington Tuesday. The Warriors will travel to Bennington Friday.
