Staff writer
The Marion High School girls’ basketball team wrapped up its season Monday with a 72-41 loss at Lyons in the first round of the substate tournament.
The Warriors were the No. 7 seed in their bracket, while the Lions, ranked No. 8 in class 3A, were the No. 2 seed. The loss brought Marion’s record on the season to 6-15.
“We knew Lyons was going to be a good team, and they are a very, very good team,” head coach Kelly Robson said. “I didn’t think we defended poorly, they just hit their shots.”
Robson overall was pleased with the effort his team gave, as he has been all season. The Warriors ended their year on a nine-game losing streak, but Robson said the effort never waned.
The trend remained true Monday, even as Lyons jumped to an early lead.
“It’s easy in a game like that to get really down and really frustrated,” he said. “We had our frustrations of course, but they didn’t quit after Lyons stopped pressing and changed defenses.”
Marion graduates just one player this season, senior starter Julia Hall. Even Hall hadn’t come into the year with a wealth of varsity minutes under her belt, Robson said, a testament to the team’s overall inexperience.
Along with that inexperience came growing pains for the Warriors. Robson said turnovers and free throws were the two major issues his team faced.
“Nights when we kept turnovers down and kept it even as far as free throws, we were right in there,” Robson said. “The No. 1 theme all summer and into next year will be to keep turnovers down.”
Boys lose, too
The Marion boys’ basketball team lost its opening game in the substate tournament, falling to Hesston 62-17.
Marion was seeded No. 8 in its bracket, and Hesston was the No. 1 seed. It was the final game for Marion seniors Bret Voth and Jacob Baldwin.