Staff writer
Even with a slow start to the contest, the Marion High School girls basketball team cruised to a 52-32 victory over Bennington Friday in Marion.
It took 4 minutes of game time before either team would light up the score board, it happened to be the Bulldogs who struck first with a Lindsay Curl layup off a Shelby Modin assist.
The lead was the Bulldogs only advantage of the game and was short-lived. Whitney Gordon started the scoring for the Warriors with a post-up turnaround basket from the left-side low block. Then Megan Richmond scored on an offensive rebound put back off a missed transition layup. Katey Ehrlich converted a transition layup and hit the subsequent free throw after a Bennington foul. Marion enjoyed a 13-9 advantage after the first quarter.
Unlike in previous contests, the Warriors did not slow down their scoring output. Marion shot 50 percent from the floor and posted quarter scores of 13, 13, 17, and 9 points for the game.
Whitney Gordon scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, 6 of which were offensive boards. Facing a Bennington team whose tallest player measured 5-foot-8, Gordon scored with variety. Her turnaround shots from either block were lethal, but she also used a 12 to 15-foot midrange jump shot in and outside of the paint. She crashed the glass and accounted for several of Marion’s 17 second-chance points.
Gordon had 20 points by the end of the third quarter, but she was rested on the bench for stretches in the fourth, which curtailed her scoring.
It was Gordon’s second such game of posting more than 20 points and 10 rebounds. She had 20 points and 15 rebounds Jan. 14 against Hutchinson Trinity in Marion.
“I’d say we had an advantage at one spot,” coach Randy Savage said.
The only part of Gordon’s game that was not on display Friday was 3-point shooting. She only took one shot from downtown, preferring to take shots around the basket.
However, Ehrlich hit 2 long distance bombs as part of a 6-for-9 shooting night that rewarded the Warrior guard with 15 points. Most of Ehrlich’s points resulted in the Marion freshman leading the break in transition to layups — the Warriors scored 24 points off turnovers — or from jump shots around the lane.
“She did a better job looking for her shot,” Savage said.
It was a complete victory for Marion. The Warriors forced 26 Bennington turnovers and held the Bulldogs to 31.8 percent shooting. Marion also defeated Bennington on the boards 31-22.