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Warriors looking up after first-round Classic victory

45-41 victory moves Marion into second round of Trojan Classic

Sports writer

It didn’t look good for the Marion High School girls’ basketball team.

The Warriors were down 11-1 halfway through the first quarter in Monday’s first-round Trojan Classic game against Riley County.

The defending 3A state champions had the Warriors right where they wanted them, using six straight points from senior Beth Husted to start the game.

However, trailing 16-4 the Warriors put on a full-court press, stole the ball, and Kristen Steinborn finished off the play with a layup.

“We knew we were going to have to step it up,” said junior guard Kayley Heerey.”

The Warriors did just that, slowly creeping back into the game, and trailed just 16-11 at the end of one.

A 13-6 second quarter gave MHS a halftime-lead of 24-22.

It was a nearly identical first half for the two teams as each hit nine shots, while Riley County had two three-pointers and Marion one. The Warriors made up for it by knocking down 5-of-8 free throws, compared to just 2-of-2 for the Falcons.

However, the Falcons went back to Husted, who scored a game-high 15 points, to start the third quarter. Two early buckets from the senior gave RC the lead again. Marion’s leading scorer, Julia Zeiner, missed most of the first half, and all of the second quarter with foul trouble, but the other Warriors stepped up their play.

“We felt like all of us had to step it up a little bit,” Heerey said, “and we knew when Julia came back in she would be fired up.”

Bridget Lundy scored a season-high seven points on 3-of-5 shooting, including a crucial three-pointer early in the fourth quarter, and point guard Lindsay Hett kept the Warriors in the game by playing her usual tough defense and scoring 12 points.

The fast pace began to wear on the Falcons, and the Warriors pulled ahead for good, 42-41, on a Zeiner layup.

The junior had a season-low six points, but she also had five rebounds and four steals for the fifth time this season, and got open on what ended up being the game-winning basket.

After Zeiner snuck underneath for the contested layup, she also nailed 1-of-2 free throws in the final 10 seconds to make it a two-possession game at 45-41. Riley couldn’t score after the free throws, and the Warriors won for the first time in a game decided by five points or less.

The non-league victory moved MHS to 6-4 on the season, and its 3-1 league record stayed intact.

It also assured the team no worse than a fourth-place finish at the Classic, which will resume at 6:30 p.m. Thursday for Marion against Thomas Moore Prep.

Marion 59, Hoisington 43

A Friday road game at Hoisington proved to be an easier contest than Monday’s game.

Coming off a home loss to Haven, the Warriors took their aggression out on the Cardinals, jumping ahead 9-0, and 21-8 after the first quarter.

A 39-16 halftime-lead turned into 51-25 after three quarters. MHS would hold on for the 16-point victory.

Heerey had her best three-point shooting game of the season, connecting on 5-of-7 from behind the arc and a season-high 19 points. Hett and Zeiner each had 13 points and four steals. Zeiner also had a season-high nine rebounds while Hett contributed six.

The Warriors remain in fourth place in the 12-team MCAA league behind Collegiate, Hesston, and Haven

Last modified Jan. 21, 2009

 

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