Lady Warriors suffer double-digit losses at Lyons, Smoky Valley
The Marion High School Lady Warriors had to feel good as they headed to the sideline during a time out at the 3:07 mark of the first quarter Friday against Smoky Valley.
After giving up six quick points to the taller, more athletic Lady Vikings, Marion had methodically fought back to take a 9-8 lead, demonstrating good poise as they repeatedly broke Smoky Valley's full-court press.
Erin Carr hit a basket and a three-pointer in the Marion run, and when Kristen Steinborn's goal gave Marion the lead, Marion High School Gymnasium erupted in approval.
It proved to be last major feel-good moment of the evening for the home team, as Smoky Valley shrugged off the Marion run, and steamrolled its way to a 76-35 trouncing of the Lady Warriors.
"They just ratcheted the pressure up a bunch, and that sunk us," said Marion head coach Daryl Enos.
Coming out of the time out, Marion's offense virtually disappeared for the next eight minutes. A Steinborn free throw was the only Lady Warrior score until Lindsay Hett nailed a three-pointer at 3:44 of the second quarter.
By then, the Lady Vikings had blitzed their way to a 35-13 lead, by forcing numerous Marion turnovers, and dominating rebounding at both ends of the floor.
The poise exhibited earlier by the Lady Warriors vanished, as Smoky Valley forced 14 Marion turnovers in the final 11 minutes of the first half. Marion ended the game having turned the ball over 33 times.
The Lady Vikings hit 51 percent of their shots for the game, while limiting Marion to 33 percent. Smoky Valley prevailed at the free-throw line as well, making 77 percent of their charities to Marion's 45 percent.
No Lady Warriors scored in double-figures, with Carr collecting a team-high eight points. The top two Lady Viking scorers, Jenna Koch with 22, and Rhys Pihl with 21, outscored the entire Marion team.
Marion 55, Lyons 78
While Smoky Valley used a devastating first-half run to bury Marion, Lyons used a more even-paced, but equally effective approach Dec. 12 in vanquishing the visiting Lady Warriors, 78-55.
Thirteen proved an unlucky number for the Lady Warriors, who scored that many points in each of the first three quarters against the Lady Lions.
It wasn't enough to keep pace with Lyons, which held leads of 21-13 after the first quarter, 41-26 at halftime, and 55-39 at the end of the third.
The Lady Warriors were never able to pry the lid off the bucket, hitting only 18-of-56 shots, a mere 32 percent. Marion had better success at the charity stripe, going 12-for-15.
Carr provided most of the firepower for the Lady Warriors, collecting 22 points, on eight-of-14 shooting from the field, and two-of-two from the line. Morgan Cady added eight points, and Hett chipped in seven.
"We had a lot of holes in the dike, and not enough fingers to plug them," Enos said.
