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Marion boys hold off Navarro 64-55
Published November 22, 2009
MARION — No one would’ve been upset had the Bulldogs come out a little rusty Friday night.
After all, it was just game No. 1.
But as it turned out, Marion looked to be in midseason form right from the opening tap, shooting 50 percent from the field in the first half en route to a 16-point halftime lead over their rivals from Navarro.
The Bulldogs (1-0) later went up by as many as 25 points before watching the Panthers (1-1) give them a scare in the fourth quarter, eventually holding on for the 64-55 win.
“I was pleased with the first bunch for the first three quarters,” said Marion head coach Jon Allen. “I wouldn’t have thought we would’ve had a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter coming into this game.”
Navarro first-year head coach Rick Onofre said his team looked as if it finally found a rhythm in the second half, but that it came just a little too late.
“You just can’t get 25 points down before you start actually playing,” Onofre said. “Especially against a team as good as they are.”
The first quarter saw Marion post a quick 7-2 lead thanks to two transition lay-ups by guard Nathayn DeHoyos. Navarro fought back, however, cutting the lead to 11-8 at the end of the first period after senior A.K. Williams got to the line and sunk a few free throws.
In the second quarter, the Bulldogs showed their court savvy by continuing to pass up contested shots and get the ball inside, giving post players Derek Pierce and Mark Radtke easy buckets in the paint. Pierce and DeHoyos had eight each at the break, as Marion headed into the locker room up 32-16.
After a slow start, sophomore forward Alex Eicher made his presence known for the Bulldogs in the third quarter, sinking his first three shots of the half to help his club push its lead to 48-28 with just eight minutes remaining in the ballgame.
Marion’s lead grew to 25 before Navarro began to make a run, sparked by its second unit and pesky point guard Obed Rodriguez.
“I think he had three or four steals in a minute’s time,” Onofre said. “We were able to convert by getting fouled, going to the foul line and then we could stop being jump shooters.
“I think the thing that got us into the 25-point deficit was settling for jump shots. Once we started taking it to the hole a little bit, we were able to get to the line and get our stroke going and go from there.”
Rodriguez’s energy soon spread to Williams and forward Todd Nicholson, who connected on the final four field goals he attempted in the game.
The Panthers cut the lead to nine with 2:12 left on the clock, but Pierce and DeHoyos managed to get to the line and convert late free throws to ice the contest for Marion.
Still, it was an impressive effort from a young Navarro group.
“Being down 25 and coming back and cutting it to nine, that kind of says a lot about our kids,” Onofre said.
Williams led the Panthers with his 20 points on the night, followed by Nicholson and Chris Arce, who each finished with nine. Forward Tate Johnson added seven for Navarro, while guard Koby Pacheco had five.
DeHoyos was Marion’s leading scorer, with 17, followed by Pierce and Eicher, who scored 12 and eight, respectively. Radtke had seven in the win, while guard Oscar Rhodes added six on two three-pointers.
Guard John Christ recorded five points for the Bulldogs, who already appeared to have their team chemistry together.
“We stress team first on everything,” Allen said. “I think our guys are buying into that and it makes us better.”
Marion finished the game 22-47 from the field and 4-10 from beyond the arc, while Navarro went 17-53 and 3-13.
The Panthers did have the edge at the foul line, however, converting 72 percent of their shots (18-25), while the Bulldogs finished the game just 55 percent from the charity stripe (16-29).
Both teams will return to the court this week, with Navarro hosting St. Mary’s Hall on Monday at 7:30 p.m.
Marion, originally scheduled to travel to Wimberley, will now host the Texans at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
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