Warriors enter wide-open state tournament
Staff writer
The Marion High School girls basketball team finished 18-5 just like three other teams on their way to Hutchinson.
The Warriors ended up as the sixth seed in the tournament facing Beloit via the flip of a coin.
“If it was a coin toss, we lost them all,” Marion Head Coach Randy Savage said in jest. “I want to go on record to say that I did not call the coin toss.”
The fact that a 50-50 chance played heavily into seeding speaks to the wide-open field at the 3A state tournament.
Four of the top seeds in the eight substate competitions lost. Marion dispatched 20-1 Burlington in the 54-52 last-second thriller. Also, Mid-Central Activities Association juggernaut Wichita Collegiate lost to Garden Plain and 19-0 Rock Creek lost in the first round of their substate to Rossville. The state tournament No. 1 seed, Thomas Moore Prep, defeated defending state champion Southwestern Heights.
“There’s not a Riley County of two years ago (in this bracket),” Savage said. “They were up 20 at halftime in every single game. I think they could have won the 5A state tournament.”
Marion played Thomas Moore Prep in a semifinal game of the Hillsboro Invitational tournament. They took the Monarchs to overtime after a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Whitney Gordon, but eventually lost, 61-55.
“You’ve got to get the ball to bounce your way,” Savage said. “(Including substate) you’ve got to win six in a row.”
Cross county rivals Hillsboro, also at 18-5, are seeded fourth. Marion lost to the Trojans, 55-47, Feb. 18 in Marion. The Warriors defeated Riley County, 43-39, in the Hillsboro tournament. Riley County is the eighth seed at Hutchinson.
The Warriors are happy with their draw; Beloit is one of the few teams that Marion has not played in the past two years.
“I’ve got plenty of game film,” Savage said. “We wanted to play somebody different and we got our wish.”
Really, the Warriors are happy to have the substate monkey off their back. Marion lost two years ago in the substate final and this is the first trip to the state tournament for the Warriors since 1992 when Marion was a 2A school.
“I think the pressure is off. They just wanted to get there; they were tired of not being there,” Savage said.
The Warriors reclaimed their winning swagger against Burlington. The winning fortitude forged in tough games throughout their MCAA league schedule was on display in the nail-biter against the Wildcats. Savage was also pleased to see that the team did not look past Eureka Saturday, defeating the Tornadoes 52-41.
Savage said that this attitude — the unwillingness to back down — was exemplified in player-only huddles during the past two games. Against Burlington and Eureka, the Warriors huddled without Savage multiple times coming out of timeouts.
“They’re taking this deadly serious now,” Savage said.
The winning attitude and a release of pressure make Marion a dangerous team at Hutchinson.
“I said that we were one of the best five teams in the state,” Savage said. “I think we can beat anybody out there.”