Queens of the court: Warriors take winter homecoming game
On the same night Warrior girls' basketball player Katie Zogelman was named Queen of Courts, the Marion High School girls' basketball team upended the Nickerson Panthers to claim its first ever Mid-Central Activities Association victory.
The Warriors fell behind early, but used a second-half surge to win 52-47.
"That was as huge of a win as we've had all season," head coach Daryl Enos said.
Along with it being "Queen of Courts," Enos said they needed the win because they were at the bottom of the MCAA.
Now, Marion sits at 1-5 in the league and 7-8 overall.
The Warriors were led by junior Allie Maddox.
She tied season-high numbers with 15 points on 6-11 shooting, and 3-8 from long range.
Her first two threes were the only points the Warriors would score in the first quarter. Nickerson tallied 12 points and led by six heading into the second quarter.
It wasn't much better than the first for the Warriors as they were outscored 14-11, and found themselves down 26-17 at the half.
Enos said there was some motivational talk in the locker room.
"One of our seniors said, 'Let's start playing with some passion. Aren't we tired of losing?'"
It seemed to work.
After two free throws by Nickerson to start the half, the Warriors showed they indeed were tired of losing.
They went on a 14-0 run, rarely missing their shots, and playing tough defense against the stunned Panthers.
Maddox had seven points and an assist during the run.
It gave Marion a 31-28 lead and the confidence it needed to win the game.
Nickerson fought back to tie the game at 32, and that's where the two teams stood heading into the final quarter.
While Nickerson players seemed shocked during the huge Marion run, they obviously recovered.
The Panthers scored the first four points of the fourth quarter, and it looked like it could be the eighth loss in nine games for the Warriors.
Instead Marion quickly fought back behind the play of senior Sarah Williams. She scored seven of her team's next nine points, the last coming on a three-point play to help Marion reclaim a 41-40 lead.
Nickerson jumped back ahead 45-43, but it would be its last lead.
Junior Megan Hudson recorded one of her season-high nine steals and converted it into a layup to tie the game at 45.
Both teams scored again to make the score 47-all, and bring the crowd to its feet.
With just more than one minute to play, senior Leann Thomas hit a layup on a pass from Maddox. After a Panther miss, Hudson hit one of two free throws, for a 50-47 Marion lead.
With 15 seconds left Nickerson had one more chance. But Maddox intercepted a pass and went in for a layup to ice the game.
"They earned it the good ol' fashioned way," Enos said. "They just plain out-worked the other team."
Steady defense and less turnovers than their opponent helped lead to the victory.
"Defense will win you games," Enos said. "It's going to come down to who's going to be more aggressive on defense, stay away from fouls, and stay away from turnovers."
While Marion didn't exactly stay away from turnovers with 26, that was four less than Nickerson's 30.
Maddox's 15 points led the way for Marion, while Williams scored 11, and Thomas added eight points and eight rebounds.
Hudson's nine steals were a season-high for any Warrior, as the junior guard has averaged 4.6 steals the last seven games.
Marion played host to Hesston Tuesday night, and will travel Friday to take on the Lyons Lions.
Smoky Valley
Three days before their first league win, the Warriors fell at Smoky Valley, 66-49.
After two Amber Richmond free throws to end the first half, the Warriors claimed a 17-16 lead.
The third quarter plagued Marion once again, as the Vikings outscored the Warriors 31-16 en route to the blowout victory.
Williams had 16 points in the loss, while Richmond recorded five points and seven rebounds.
