Warriors battle hard, fall in double overtime to Lyons
Gordon scores 29,
Maddox 26 in loss
Sports reporter
Marion High School girls' basketball team was in desperate need of a victory Friday when it played host to the Lyons Lions.
The good news for Warriors fans was the team played arguably its best game of the year. Still, the Lions found a way in the end to defeat Marion 80-77 in double overtime.
MHS jumped ahead 22-9 in the first quarter, but the Lions fought back, taking the lead for the first time 61-60 in the fourth quarter, en route to the victory.
"They chipped away at the lead and we became tentative," head coach Daryl Enos said. "You start to second guess and it throws off your timing."
The Warriors' timing was perfect to start the game, as Allie Maddox nailed a three-pointer to open the scoring.
Maddox and Toni Gordon scored the team's first 15 points before Erin Carr nailed a shot to increase the lead to 17-7. After the first quarter the Warriors led 24-15.
The trio kept up the scoring for MHS in the second quarter, but the Lions would not go away. The teams traded baskets and Marion led 35-24. Lyons used a 10-3 run to end the quarter, and trail just 38-34 at halftime.
Gordon had 15 points, Maddox 13, and Carr 10, to complete first half scoring for MHS.
The trend continued in the third quarter as the trio scored all 15 points for the Warriors, and MHS led 53-51 heading into the fourth quarter.
The 53 points were five above the team's average per game, but Marion needed scoring from more than just three players.
That came at the six-minute mark in the final quarter when Erica Geis hit two free throws to increase the lead to 57-53.
Geis would score the team's next three points as well, and her scoring output was the difference, as the Warriors led, 65-60.
As Lyons chipped away at the lead again, Gordon was whistled for her fourth foul at the 4:36 mark, and Marion leading 60-59.
A Lyons bucket at the 2:47 mark gave the team the lead for the first time, 61-60. It didn't last long as Maddox nailed a shot while being fouled. She would miss the free throw, but Marion led by one.
Gordon was back with 2:37 to play, and her bucket along with four Kari Tajchman free throws, gave Marion a seemingly insurmountable 68-63 lead with 34.4 seconds left.
"I thought we had it won," Enos said.
Enter Nikki Kratzer of Lyons.
As her team quickly worked the ball around, Kratzer found herself open in the corner and nailed a three-pointer with 14 seconds left to cut the lead to two.
Tajchman caught the inbound pass, and before taking a dribble ended up out-of-bounds with a Lyons defender on her back.
Marion fans, players, and coaches wanted a foul.
"I thought we were going to the line," Enos said.
Instead Lyons inbounded the ball, and after firing up a miss, Damara Lewis grabbed an offensive rebound and tied the game at 68 with a putback basket.
As the game headed into the first overtime, Lyons had the game momentum, but the Warriors crowd was loud and ready.
A Kratzer basket gave the lead back to Lyons, but Maddox scored off a Tajchman assist to tie the game once again.
After three straight Lyons points, Kratzer went to the line to increase the lead. Instead she missed both shots, and Maddox score on the other end to make the score 73-72 in favor of Lyons.
After Lyons missed a shot, and Marion headed back down the court, Adrienne Chamberland was fouled while shooting with 24 seconds left. She missed the first free throw, but stayed calm and nailed the second, tying the game.
Neither team would scored the rest of the period, sending the game into a second overtime.
Lyons decided to run a minute off the clock before taking the first shot in the period. But Maddox denied two points with a block, and Marion regained control of the ball.
With just 1:25 left and still no score in the second overtime, MHS was whistled for an over-the-back foul, and Kratzer nailed two free throws.
Chamberland found herself at the line again, and went 1-2, cutting the lead to one. Two free throws from Shelly Burgess matched the largest lead of the night for Lyons, 77-74.
Maddox would score her final basket of the night to make the score 77-76 with 50 seconds to go. Lewis then added another bucket to once again up the lead to three.
After a Maddox foul, Lyons hit one free throw. With 20 seconds left and the game seemingly over, Gordon found Maddox with a baseball pass the length of the court, but she was fouled while attempting a layup. Maddox hit one shot for the final point of the night, and Lyons ran out the clock before Marion could foul, claiming the victory, 80-77.
Gordon finished with a career-high 29 points, and Maddox added 26 points.
Carr had 11 points, and Tajchman chipped in with four points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. Geis had five points, two rebounds, and three assists, and Chamberland added two free throws.
Enos was pleased with the fight in his team, but knows they could have won the game.
"Second chance points — that's what killed us," he said.
Lyons had 21 offensive rebounds to 10 for Marion, and outscored the Warriors 26-16 on second chance points.
"We also had too many turnovers (30)," he said. "We've still got to work hard, and that will be our focus next week."
The loss dropped MHS to 0-8 in the Mid-Central Activities Association, and 4-13 overall.
MHS traveled Tuesday to Halstead, and will play Friday in its final home game of the season against Haven.
Hesston
MHS traveled Feb. 7 to Hesston to take on the Swathers.
The Warriors started off slow with a six-point first quarter en route to a 61-48 loss.
Maddox, Gordon, and Carr scored all 48 points for the Warriors who shot 20-47 from the field.
Maddox and Gordon each scored 18 points, and Carr added 12.
Tajchman and Gordon each grabbed a game-high eight rebounds, and Geis added a team-high six assists.
