Sports editor
If Marion High School boys’ basketball coach Jeff McMillin had his way, every game would be like Friday’s against Lyons.
His Warriors used a strong second half to hold off the pesky Lions en route to a 63-50 league victory.
Marion dominated Lyons in nearly every statistical category and put a stop to a small run in the fourth quarter by scoring eight straight points to open up a 47-33 lead.
The victory came after a Jan. 6, 56-54 loss at Ellinwood where the Warriors blew a fourth-quarter lead.
“We refused to let them back in it,” McMillin said of the Lyons victory. “It probably had to do with the emphasis we put on (mental toughness) after the Ellinwood game.”
MHS had three players in double-figures against Lyons, led by Eric Vogel’s season-high 21 points and nine rebounds.
“He’s a perfectionist,” McMillin said of Vogel. “Sometimes he gets down on himself but he just needs to focus on what we ask him to do — and he does.
“He’s working hard for us. He’s a battler.”
Luke Gordon had his first double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Elliot Hett had 14 points and seven rebounds.
McMillin has been preaching mental toughness since he arrived on the scene this fall, and the Warriors showed they have it against Lyons.
They built a 27-18 lead in the second quarter, only to see Lyons hit consecutive three-pointers at the end of the second quarter and to start the third quarter.
The 10-0 run gave them their first lead since 9-8, but the Warriors responded.
A 10-0 run of their own, with basketball from Gordon, Hett, and Vogel, gave MHS a 37-28 lead.
However, Lyons battled back to six before the 8-0 did them in.
“It’s about being strong between the ears,” McMillin said.
The victory was the first league win of the season for MHS, as the team now stands 1-1 in the MCAA and 3-4 overall after the Ellinwood loss, and a Saturday loss to Hesston.
MHS will be on the road Friday for a league game against Hoisington.
Ellinwood 56, Marion 54
Neither team could pull away from each others, and the biggest lead at the end of any quarter was five.
Tied at the half, Marion then took a one-point lead into the fourth quarter, only to see the Eagles outscore them 14-11 in the final frame.
Ryan Ward did-in the Warriors with 26 points, while Vogel led MHS with 18 points and eight rebounds.
Elliot Hett had 16 points and his junior brother Isaac had 12.
The Warriors lost despite shooting 45.5 percent from the field, much in part to the Eagles hitting 7-of-13 free throws compared to just 2-of-7 for Marion.
Hesston 67, Marion 38
MHS trailed 18-6 after one quarter and never came back, losing by 29 to Hesston.
Gordon had 14 points for Marion, while Vogel had 12 points and eight rebounds.
The game was a makeup for a canceled game in December, and McMillin said his team seemed ready.
“We had a good mindset going into the game,” he said. “We didn’t have the toughness that we needed. And they are really good. Sometimes you just run into good teams.”