A last-second basket by Sedgwick turned a one-point Marion lead into a one-point deficit when the final buzzer sounded in overtime Tuesday, 37-36.
The game could hardly have been closer, as both teams led by no more than four points.
?I was very proud of the effort,? coach Kelly Robson said. ?It?s disappointing for (the girls) to lose, but everybody that played contributed some stuff tonight. Other than the outcome, I was just really pleased with the game tonight.?
Neither team scored the first 2:42, and Sedgwick put the first points on the board. From there, Bailey Robson, Kirsten Hansen and Julia Hall contributed to a 6-0 run that gave Marion its largest lead of the night, 6-2. But the Cardinals ended the quarter with a 6-0 run to lead, 8-6, at the first break.
Sedgwick took its largest lead of the night, 10-6, 30 seconds into the second period. Baskets by Marshelle Mermis and Hall tied the game, and Robson and Kirsten Hansen each made three-pointers to help push Marion in front, 18-15, by halftime.
The Cardinals tied the game then took the lead, 21-18, before Hall scored Marion?s first points of the third period at the 4:03 mark. McKenzee Remmers scored the Warriors? only other basket?a three with 40 seconds to go?and Marion trailed, 24-23, heading into the final period.
After a Sedgwick score, Marion used a 6-2 run to take a 29-28 lead. A Cardinal three left Marion trailing, but Kourtney Hansen knocked down two free throws with 47 seconds left to tie the game at 31. Sydney Hilliard?s three-point attempt bounced off the rim, sending the game into overtime.
Kourtney Hansen gave Marion a two-point lead with two free throws, but after a Sedgwick miss, Marion turned the ball over, leading to a tying basket by the Cardinals. Kirsten Hansen made the second of two free throws, giving Marion a 34-33 edge. Then Sedgwick reclaimed the lead, 35-34, with 1:17 to play. Following a Warrior turnover and a Sedgwick miss, Kirsten Hansen made a basket with 15 seconds to play that put Marion in front, 36-35. But Hilliard made the game-winning basket with just one second to play.
?(Sedgwick) got a little bit of a lead at one point, and we didn?t quit,? Robson said. ?We came back and we battled hard for some rebounds in some key places. We made some free throws down the stretch, which we needed to make. Kirsten made a real key jump shot there to give us the lead. Everything that you?d want in a basketball game happened there, except that they made their last shot, and we were hoping that they wouldn?t.?
Hall led all scorers with 10 points.
Coming?Marion (2-6, 6-13) was scheduled to travel to Sedgwick Tuesday in the final regular season game.
Marion will participate in the Class 3A sub-state at Hesston next week. Teams in the field in addition to the Warriors and the host school include Southeast of Saline, Halstead, Hillsboro, Hutchinson Trinity, Lyons and Sterling. Seedings will be posted at hillsborofreepress.com as they become available.
