From the sidelines
Last year I missed it.
For the first time in 11 years the Marion High School boys' basketball team defeated the Hillsboro Trojans, in a home overtime game no less.
I wasn't covering the team at the time and was not at the game.
From what I hear about, I missed a pretty good one.
Fortunately, I saw a pretty good one Thursday afternoon when the Warriors again defeated the Trojans, this time in the Trojan Classic, 59-49.
Actually, it wasn't that close of a game.
Neither team led by more than two points in the first half, and it was only a four-point game in the final minute before Marion nailed six free throws.
Nonetheless, the Warriors have now defeated Hillsboro two out of three games, and will have another chance Friday with a league game on the road.
Expect the Trojans to be hungry.
And expect that student section to be just a little louder than it was Thursday - although even then it reached a pretty high decibel level.
But besides the victory itself, what impressed me was the way the Warriors played the game.
It was by far the best game they played this year, and had they lost in the end, it still would have been.
They were playing in a hostile environment, but still kept their cool, played smart, and it didn't hurt they shot better than 53 percent for the game.
A big reason for the great shooting was point guard Calvin Jeffrey's no-look passes that left his teammates wide open for a layup.
But I give the players catching the passes credit as well, because no-look passes can even fool the intended recipient.
Sophomore Eric Vogel made the best of every shot attempt he took, going 6-6 from the field, and 1-1 from the free-throw line.
Justin Heidebrecht nailed three three-pointers, Luke Gordon had one of his best games of the year with nine points and nine rebounds, Chase Carlson displayed his toughness once again, and Elliot and Isaac Hett's defense kept anyone besides the duo of Clay Shewey and David Loewen from scoring.
In other words, it was a total team effort.
Maybe this victory will fuel the Trojans enough to come out Friday and not allow a sweep from the Warriors.
But with this past game, the Warrior players know they can compete.
I'm just glad I got to see it this time.
