Warriors struggle to stop Trojan shooting
Staff writer
The Marion Warriors boys’ basketball team led for all of about a minute Friday night before the Hillsboro Trojans took a lead they would not lose.
After Grif Case made a layup on Marion’s first possession, Hillsboro’s Christian Ratzlaff scored eight in two minutes, two 3-pointers and a step-back jumper. A Jordan Faul layup seconds later caused a Marion timeout.
Down 10-4 out of the timeout, Case scored again on a three-point play and two more free throws, but 10-9 was as close as the Warriors would get. The Trojans went on a 10-2 run, finishing the first quarter up 20-11.
The second quarter did not get much better for the Warriors, as Hillsboro continued shooting well, taking a 36-21 lead into halftime. The Trojans would finish the night shooting 56 percent from the field and 41 percent (12 of 29) from 3.
The Warriors continued fighting for the lead in the second half, but Hillsboro stayed hot shooting, outscoring Marion 42-28.
Case and Tim Knolla led the Warriors in scoring with 19 and 14 each. Ratzlaff finished with 29 points, scoring 11 of 20 from the field and 7 of 12 from the outside. Brett Weinbrenner also scored 17 for the Trojans, with 11 assists.
Statistics
Hillsboro — Austin Cross, 2 points; Micah Allen, 10 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks, 1 steal; C. Ratzlaff, 29 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists; Josh Funk, 2 points; Brett Weinbrenner, 17 points, 1 rebound, 11 assists, 1 steal; Jesse Brown, 4 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 2 steals; David Dick, 1 assist; Grant Knoll, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 steal; Jordan Faul, 2 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal; Evan Ollenburger, 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 3 steals.
Marion — Mason Pederson, 1 rebound; T. Knolla, 14 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists; Taylor Heidebrecht, 3 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 4 steals; Zach Robson, 6 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals; G. Case, 19 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist; James Jones, 4 points, 1 rebound, 1 block, 1 steal; Bret Voth, 3 points, 1 rebound; Nicholas Stuchlik, 1 rebound; Jacob Baldwin, 3 rebounds; Dylan Pippin, 2 rebounds.