MHS boys split with Lyons, Smoky Valley
Sports reporter
Spotting a state-ranked Class 4A team 21 points is no way to win a basketball game.
The Marion Warrior boys' varsity team discovered this the hard way Friday against Smoky Valley.
The Vikings entered Marion High School Gymnasium ranked ninth by the Kansas Coaches Association, and left with their status untarnished, as they cruised to a 68-55 victory over the Warriors.
"We knew they were very good, and we knew we'd have to play well to beat them," Marion head coach Rex Ostmeyer said.
Travis Hett ignited the Warrior crowd with three-pointers on Marion's first two possessions, staking the Warriors to a 6-0 lead, barely a minute into the game.
The Vikings got on the board when Justin Holcom, who totaled 19 points for the game, hit a layup at the 6:04 mark.
Over the next nine minutes, the Warriors learned why Smoky Valley is so highly-touted, as the Vikings went on a devastating 31-6 run, to take a commanding 21-point lead, 33-12.
Poor shooting, weak rebounding, and turnovers by the Warriors fueled the Smoky Valley run. In the second quarter, Marion hit only one of its 11 field goal attempts.
"They played very well during that stretch," Ostmeyer said of the Vikings. "We made some silly mistakes, and they got on a nice rhythm."
The Warriors suffered a setback when Jason Hett, one of the team's leading scorers, was whistled for his third personal foul one minute into the second quarter. Hett spent a total of 16 minutes on the bench for the contest.
The Warriors stemmed the tide somewhat by holding the Vikings scoreless for the last five minutes of the half, but were unable to make much headway themselves. Marion trailed 33-16 at the break.
"When we went to the zone, they didn't score again in the half," Ostmeyer observed. "If we could have put together our own little run, it would've been a different game."
Three times in the second half, Marion trimmed the lead to as few as 12 points, but each time the Vikings had an answer.
The home crowd had one last glimmer of hope in the final stanza, as scores by Jason Hett, Travis Hett, and Emmanuel Jackson cut the Smoky Valley lead from 18 down to 12, 60-48, with more than four minutes remaining.
But the Warriors squandered four consecutive opportunities, missing three shots and turning the ball over on a Jackson charging foul. Smoky Valley extended the lead to 15 points, 68-53, before Calvin Jeffrey added a token basket in the final minute to account for the final score.
The most glaring differential between the teams came in rebounding, where the Vikings outmuscled the Warriors 43-25 on the boards. The Vikings picked up a whopping 18 boards off the offensive glass.
"They were killing us on the boards, and we couldn't rebound out of our zone," said Ostmeyer.
Travis Hett, with 18, and Jason Hett, with 12, were the only Warriors in double figures. Justin Heidebrecht hauled in six rebounds.
Despite the defeat, Marion's skipper found positive signs for his squad's future.
"After I had the chance to get over the initial disappointment of the loss, I didn't feel too terribly bad," admitted Ostmeyer.
"When we were playing like we were capable of playing, we were as good as them.
"It wasn't a talent issue," he continued. "It was the fact that they played harder than us. It gives us a chance on down the road to say if we play hard, we can beat anybody we play.
"The sky is the limit for this team," Ostmeyer concluded.
Marion 73, Lyons 44
A Dec. 12 trip to Lyons proved more fruitful for the Warriors, who had no difficulties de-clawing the Lions, 73-44.
Shooting a sizzling 63 percent from the field, four Warrior starters reached double-digit point totals, in a game the Warriors led from start to finish.
"We've emphasized playing together and sharing the basketball, and that's what the story was at Lyons," said Ostmeyer.
Jackson got the Warriors off to a fast start, scoring eight of his 13 total points in the first quarter, most of which came off of layups. Marion led 19-11 at the close of the quarter.
Travis Hett sparked Marion in the second quarter, ringing up nine points in the first four minutes, as the Warriors sped to a 36-24 halftime advantage. Hett finished the game with 14.
Next to shine for the Warriors was Jeffrey, who canned 11 of his team-leading 15 points in a decisive third quarter. Marion scored 26 points in the quarter, while holding Lyons to just 13, creating an insurmountable 62-37 lead.
Jason Hett was the fourth Warrior starter in double figures, with 13 points.
Despite their dominance on the scoreboard, the Warriors were even with the Lions in rebounding, 25-25, and allowed Lyons 11 caroms on the offensive end.
The Warriors will not see action again until the new year, when they will travel Jan. 5 to Ellinwood.
