MMS Lady Wildcats defeat Hillsboro
The Marion Middle School girls' A-team ended the regular season Thursday on a positive note, getting by Hillsboro 33-26 at Marion High School Gymnasium.
A hotly-contested first half left Hillsboro with a slim one-point advantage at halftime, but gave Marion an edge it would put to good use after the intermission.
"We were down by one at half time, but you would've never guessed it by the team's attitude in the locker room," said MMS head coach Autumn Priddy. "They were positive with each other and acting as if we were up."
In the third quarter, the Lady Wildcats no longer had to act. Sparked by swarming defense that allowed just four Lady Trojan points in the period, Marion found itself with the lead, 20-17.
Sharp shooting by Donna Cady fueled Marion's best offensive output of the contest in the final period, as the Lady Wildcats quickly expanded their lead and coasted home for the 33-26 win.
Cady tallied nine points in the win, as did teammate Jordan Harper.
"We came out and played great defense," said Priddy. "Everyone on my bench and on the court was talking and helping each other.
"We have to use this momentum going into the MCAA tournament," she continued. "If we play with everything we have, we'll do extremely well."
Marion found the going tougher in the B-team contest, going flat offensively in a three-point second quarter that saw Hillsboro forge a 26-9 lead. The deficit was too great for the Lady Wildcats to overcome, as they fell 42-22.
Ashley Ratzloff led the Lady Wildcats with nine points, and Whitney Gordon added four.
The Lady Warriors experienced second-quarter woes in the C-team contest as well. Following a close first quarter led by Hillsboro, 5-4, Marion was shut out of the scoring column in the second. Hillsboro picked up the scoring pace in the second half, and the Lady Trojans won the contest, 27-9.
Megan Overton scored four points for Marion.
"These girls finished off the year giving it everything they had," Priddy said of her two junior squads. "They have grown so much as players over the last four months. I'm so proud they came and worked hard every day and improved."
Marion vs. Collegiate
It was the C-team's turn to shine against Wichita Collegiate Jan. 22, as Ratzloff ripped the nets for 12 points, leading Marion to a come-from-behind 22-20 win.
This time, the Lady Wildcats overcame a dismal second quarter by holding Collegiate to only two third-quarter points, as they edged to within one, 15-14, by the end of the quarter.
Alex Young added four points in the Marion victory.
Marion started strong against Collegiate in the B-team contest, pulling out to an 18-12 third quarter lead. Collegiate roared back in the fourth quarter to force overtime, and won in the extra period, 32-26.
Macy Hess led the Lady Wildcats with nine points, and Ratzloff added six.
Collegiate controlled the A-team contest from beginning to end, turning a 28-14 halftime edge into a 50-28 victory.
Harper and Gordon scored five points each for Marion.
