MARION — It was the second-biggest offensive output of the season for the Lebanon boys. They came in averaging 68 points a game but torched Marion in an 83-65 Southwest District road win on Tuesday.
The two teams exchanged punches early, with the Pioneers scoring almost every possession and Marion answering in the first quarter. Jack Ford hit a 3-pointer for the Scarlet Hurricane to tie the contest at 17-all. Mike Reece scored on an inbound play and then pulled up out front for a jumper behind the arc to give Lebanon a five-point advantage at the end of the first.
“Marion has some good guards, their offense ran well, especially in the first quarter,” Lebanon coach Scotty Boyd said. “We made some adjustments and played better defense. I was disappointed with our defense most of the game, and our transition defense was pretty poor.”
The Scarlet Hurricane had five straight turnovers to start the second frame. They were held to 10 points as Lebanon extended their lead to 39-27 at the break.
“Lebanon has a good team, we knew coming in it was going to be fast,” said Marion coach Adam Burchett. “They found another gear, and we didn’t. It’s hard to dig out when you get down on a good team. Hat’s off to Lebanon, they were the better team tonight. We’ll return to work tomorrow and prepare for our next game.”
The Cane’s couldn’t muster a comeback in the second half. The Pioneers kept a comfortable lead throughout. Marion didn’t have an answer for six-foot-3 Mike Reece. The sophomore post finished with 26 points on a 10-of-11 night on two-pointers, showing his long-range ability with a 2-for-3 effort on 3s. Reece also led the Pioneers on the glass, pulling 17 rebounds.
“We wanted this one; coming in, we had only played one Southwest District game,” Reece said. “Marion has a good team; they play well at home and haven’t lost at home. It feels good to play like this. I had my teammates behind me all night; I couldn’t be more proud.”
Senior guard Andy Lambert had another great night with 17 points and six assists. Chance Parker totaled 12 points, and Hunter Musick came off the bench to contribute 12 points, six assists, and three steals.
The Pioneers couldn’t shoot much better on 2-pointers, going 28-for-38 as a team, making 74 percent. They also did an outstanding job sharing the ball with 23 assists.
“We just committed ourselves and limited our turnovers, and it showed,” stated Reece. “We were able to make the shots.
“We have good chemistry as a team. I knew from week three on out we would be fine. We show up to practice every single day and work hard together. It shows on and off the court.”
Parker Wolfe (24 points), Cade Burchett (16), and Reid Osborne (10) led the Marion offense.
Lebanon won their sixth in a row and have now won their only two SWD games.
“Offensively, when we get in one of those spurts, we can put points up quickly, and we had two tonight,” Coach Boyd said. “Our defense gave me some headaches. We gave up a lot in the paint, a lot of second-chance points, and we can’t do that moving forward.”