Sports editor
After a 71-43 loss Tuesday to Smoky Valley, the Marion High School boys’ basketball team finished as the sixth seed in its home sub-state tournament.
The Warriors ended the season 5-15, and have a Tuesday sub-state date on the road at 12-7 Hillsboro. A victory there would ensure MHS at least one more home game because Marion is playing host to the semifinal and championship rounds.
One loss in the tournament will end the Warriors’ season.
The Trojans defeated the Warriors Friday, in the second-to-last game of the regular season.
Mid-Central Activities Association leading-scorer Chase Dippel had a game-high 35 points Tuesday in the victory at Marion.
Marion senior Luke Gordon had his best game of the season with a double-double of 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Eric Vogel, Isaac Hett, and senior Mitchell Leppke each had six points. The team’s other senior, Elliot Hett, finished with three points.
Hillsboro
Despite opening a 27-15 first-half lead, Marion fell Friday at the hands of Hillsboro, 59-49.
The score was closer than it indicated, with HHS holding on to a two-point lead with less than two minutes to play in the game.
Clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch preserved the victory. David Loewen and Ben Bebermeyer combined to go 6-for-6 in the final two minutes.
Clay Shewey was the top-scorer for Hillsboro with 16 points. All but one of his points came on three-point attempts, as the senior was 5-of-11 from behind the arc.
Daniel Jost had 15 points and a game-high six assists, and was 6-of-6 from the free-throw line.
Marion was leading at halftime, 29-25, but trailed, 44-41, heading into the fourth quarter.
It was a back-and-forth quarter with no one leading by more than three points until two Loewen free throws made it 51-47 with 1:57 left in the game.
Eric Vogel led Marion with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Luke Gordon had a team-high 13 points and seven rebounds.
Elliot Hett was in double figures as well with 10 points, two rebounds, and two assists.
Even with the loss, McMillin was proud of the way his team played.
“I think that really for the first time this year, we had multiple guys play with the mindset that we have been trying to bring out in the players — that we will continue to cultivate our competitiveness and toughness,” he said. “Friday night was a good building block for our program.”