Staff writer
The Marion High School boys basketball team lost Saturday to Berean Academy 45-41 in the final game of the Marion Classic.
With 12.2 seconds left, Berean was up 43-41 and had a chance to ice the game at the free-throw line. But, the Berean player missed the front end of the one-and-one and hope sprang into the hearts of the Marion faithful. The ball glanced off the rim and Marion forward Eric Vogel tried to tip the ball to teammate Wil Case, but the ball bounced into the hands of a Berean post player who promptly scored the winning basket.
“We had a shot against a team that is going to win a lot of games this year,” he said. “We had two halves of effort and one half of composure. This is not a bad loss if we learn from it.”
Marion was attempting to stage its second come-from-behind victory in as many games. Marion found itself down 28-16 at halftime.
Isaac Hett and Vogel were the leading scorers for Marion — Hett scored 10 and Vogel scored 17 and had 10 rebounds for the first Marion double-double of the season. The 3-point shooting of Case kept the Warriors in the game. Case ended the game with nine points.
“At half, I had no points,” Case said. “I figured, if we planned on winning, I’d have to score.”
Marion guard Jordan Versch played tight perimeter defense and also scored two “and one” layups.
“I never would have foreseen putting in Jordan as a defensive replacement,” Marion head coach Jeff McMillan said.
Freshman backup point guard Jordan Hett also played stronger in the second half. In the first half, Berean defenders applied copious amounts of pressure on Hett. In the second half, Hett dribbled out of traps and completed passes to open Warriors.
“It’s just the nature of the business that freshmen get picked on. No one (at Marion) has ever been asked to do what he’s doing,” McMillan said. “He grew up a little tonight.”
McMillan was pleased with the team’s effort on both ends of the floor in the loss.
On Thursday against Remington, Isaac Hett scored the basket that gave the Warriors the lead, 47-45.
Eric Vogel drove the ball from his familiar position in the high post against the meat of the Remington defense. The ball came loose while Vogel was trying to square his shoulders, bracing for impact from a Bronco defender. Isaac Hett sneaked back in, behind Vogel while his man tried to help scramble for the ball. Vogel was able to quickly pick up the ball and fling it to Hett, who hit the open 15-foot jump shot to give the Warriors their final lead.
It was only the second lead of the night for the Warriors but it was the lead that led to a 54-49 victory.
Hett and Vogel were the leading scorers in the victory. Hett scored 22 points and had nine rebounds; Vogel scored 17 points. Hett was a benefactor of Vogel’s high-post play. Vogel was hitting shots from the elbow and attacking the Remington zone from the top of the key, which opened up several shots for Hett.
The Warrior defense made the difference in the game. While Marion was outshot — 46 percent to 42 percent from the field — and outrebounded — 30 to 29, the Warriors forced 18 turnovers: four more than Remington.
“We didn’t get the glory turnovers — the turnovers that led directly to layups — but we got defensive stops,” McMillan said.
Marion found itself in a hole early in the game. Marion switched to a zone defense in the second quarter, which contained Remington’s dribble penetration.
Isaac Hett said that the Warriors didn’t really start to play well until the team was down 10.
“Our defense was slow; our offense was slow,” Isaac Hett said. “Once we were down by 10, we had a wakeup call.”
McMillan was impressed with the way his team battled back from adversity. The Warriors overcame an incredible scoring night from Remington’s Jake Green — 27 points — to come back and win.
“They fought pretty well. I always tell them we want to be a player-driven team,” he said. “When you have the buy-in from the players, it starts to mean more to them. It’s good to get wins like this when you’re starting to build.”
Isaac Hett summed up why this will be important experience for the Warrior team.
“Each game is going to be harder and harder,” he said. “When we get in a close game, we’ll have this experience.”
Vogel and Isaac Hett were both named to the Marion Classic all-tournament team.