Warrior girls go 1-2 at annual Marion Classic

Corrina Crabb shoots for two during the second quarter with Wichita Home School Thursday. Crabb led Marion’s scoring effort with 11 points in Marion’s 47-31 loss. Janae Rempel / Free PressThe Marion girls’ basketball team went 1-2 in the Marion Classic last week, ending on a high note with a 48-13 victory over Peabody-Burns Saturday.

The home Warriors outscored the visiting Warriors, 10-2, in the first period, and enjoyed a 25-9 lead at halftime. A 15-2 effort in the third quarter gave Marion a 40-11 advantage heading into the final period.

Chloe Burkholder led all scorers with 11 points.

“I was most pleased with the intensity we brought to the game,” coach Kelly Robson said. “We played rather soft against SES and Eureka. I’m sure their pressure was part of it, but we didn’t push back very much. We were better in that department against Wichita Home School, but I was happy to see us progress even more against Peabody. We fouled too much, but we were getting after it defensively better than we had all season.”

Robson said he was also pleased with the play of the young players on the Warrior roster. The team is improving, he said.

“I think the tournament shows we are getting better in certain phases of the game,” he said. “There are many things we simply don’t understand yet, but it’s coming. I think we’ll be more competitive in games as the season progresses.”

Wichita Home School—Marion lost its second game of the Classic, 47-31, with coach Kelly Robson noting progress from a loss to Eureka earlier in the week.

“We’re trying to move to the open spaces a little bit better,” Robson said. “I saw progress. I was concerned when we didn’t score in the first quarter. … But then we just seemed to lighten up a little bit and go play.”

The Warriors endured a rough start in which Wichita Home School burst to an 11-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. Marion scored its first points when Corrina Crabb made two free-throws with 6:01 left in the half, and Home School led, 29-8, at intermission.

Marion increased its scoring production in the second half, closing the gap to 37-20 by the end of the third quarter, and outscoring Home School, 11-10, in the final period.

“We could’ve easily just gone away,” coach Kelly Robson said. “I was very proud of the girls for not just going away. They kept on fighting.”

Crabb led the Warrior scoring effort with 11 points, including nine free-throws.

Eureka—Marion opened Classic play with a 48-16 loss to Eureka Tuesday.

“It was chaos is what it was,” coach Kelly Robson said. “You never knew where they were coming from. Our girls are plenty nervous with the basketball as it is, and then when somebody surprises them with a double-team or something, we were pretty nervous. We ended up with a running clock in the fourth quarter. That’s kind of discouraging for the girls, but it’s the way it goes. Eureka’s a quality team.”

The Warriors trailed, 17-7, after one quarter, and 34-10, at halftime.

Cameron White scored Marion’s only basket of the third quarter, which ended with Eureka leading, 42-12. Eureka scored six points to Marion’s four in the final period.

“We just couldn’t get enough going offensively because we were just so stressed with the basketball,” Robson said.

Chloe Burkholder scored all of her team-high five points in the first half.

Coming—Marion (1-3) was scheduled to host Hillsboro Tuesday and will host Douglass Thursday in the Heart of America versus Central Plains League challenge.

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