Staff writer
The Marion High School girls’ basketball team kept the game close Tuesday night against Ell-Saline, but came up short, 56-51.
“Short is exactly what it is,” coach Kelly Robson said. “They’ve got a taller player than we’ve got — and a taller player with some skills.”
Robson said Cardinals senior Aubrey Wilson, at 5-11, was a tough matchup for the Warriors in zone or man defenses. She scored 13 points, grabbed rebounds, and made free throws down the stretch to maintain a lead and victory.
The Lady Warriors fell behind 8-2 early after the Cardinals made two threes, but Katey Ehrlich, Kelli Hess, and Kirsten Hansen scored to keep within four at 12-8 at the end of the first quarter.
The Cardinals began the second quarter on a 13-4 run, holding a 28-19 lead at halftime.
Down 40-29 with less than two minutes remaining in the third, Marion began to gain momentum. Kaelyn Thierolf drove the lane and scored, followed by scores from Hess and Julia Hall, bringing Marion within five, 42-37, at the end of the third quarter.
Ehrlich converted a three-point play at the beginning of the fourth quarter to bring the Warriors within two, but Marion could not take the lead. They remained as close as three with more than 2 minutes remaining, but fell behind by eight late.
A 3-pointer by Megan Richmond put the Warriors over 50 points, but Ell-Saline won, 56-51.
The Lady Warriors play next at 6 p.m. Friday at Canton-Galva.
Scoring
Ehrlich, 19; Hess, 11; Hansen, 4; Thierolf, 4; Megan Richmond, 7; Julia Hall, 4; Bailey Robson, 2.
Monday at Remington
The girls lost a makeup game from Feb. 4 Monday night at Remington, 62-30. Robson said the girls just ran into the wrong matchup against a tall Bronco team.
“They start three girls that are 5-10, and their arms are 8-feet long,” he said. “We would come off our drives and those tall girls were waiting to block our shots.”
Friday night at Inman
The Lady Warriors lost their third consecutive game Friday night at Inman High School. The Warriors controlled the game for most of the first half, but lost the lead during the third quarter, and never recovered.
The Warriors led by seven with a minute left in the first half, but the Teutons cut the halftime lead to 23-20.
Marion was able to knock down open shots in the first half, but could not get the same shots to fall in the second. The Warriors got as close as two points late in the fourth quarter, but Inman prevailed, 48-43.