Wildcat boys falter against Sterling
Marion Middle School boys' basketball teams hosted Sterling Dec. 19 at Marion High School Gymnasium, and the Wildcats found the Cubs too rough to handle in two of the three games played.
The Wildcats were hampered in the A-team contest by a sluggish offense that came to a grinding halt in the second quarter.
Trailing 12-5 at the end of the first quarter, Marion was held scoreless in the second.
"We came out a little flat," said Marion head coach Kelly Robson.
Sterling fared only slightly better, as Wildcat defenders stepped up their intensity to keep the Cubs within striking distance, 16-5, at halftime.
Marion struggled to close the gap with continued stingy defense in the second half, limiting the Cubs to only 10 points.
Dillon Richmond scored all of his team-leading seven points in the second half, but the Wildcats were never able to get closer than five, falling to the Cubs 26-19.
"Our intensity picked up in the second half, but we couldn't complete the comeback," said Robson. "It was a good team effort defensively."
Landon Leiker followed Richmond in scoring for Marion with five.
The Cubs played like angry grizzlies in the B-team contest, mauling the overmatched Wildcats 41-10.
"The effort needed to compete wasn't there from the very beginning," lamented Robson.
"Sterling ran the floor well, and their defensive pressure kept us from getting any offense going," he concluded.
Colten Johnson and Brandon Meierhoff were the leading Wildcat scorers, with four each.
The lone bright spot of the evening for the Wildcats came in the C-team contest.
Colin Eurit's 10 points sparked the best Marion offensive showing of the night, as five different Wildcats broke into the scoring column en route to a convincing 26-14 win.
Tough defense and poor shooting limited the Cubs to only four first-half points, as the visitors trailed 16-4 at halftime.
Sterling came out fired up for the second half, throwing the Wildcats off balance with a 10-point barrage in the third quarter, while limiting Marion to four points.
"Michael Kirkpatrick and Derek Stuchlik provided a good calming effect for us when things started to get a little out of control," Robson noted.
Entering the fourth quarter, the Wildcats found their 12-point halftime edge trimmed to six, 20-14.
The defense stepped to the fore once again for Marion, as the Wildcats didn't allow Sterling another point for the remainder of the contest.
Justin Rahe kept the Wildcats in front with eight second-half points, and Marion pulled away for the victory.
Robson was pleased with the effort and intensity shown by his young squad.
"They don't lack for hustle," Robson said. "When they're against a team that's fairly evenly matched, they won't get outhustled, that's for sure."
