Shane Shoemaker – Writer
Just before everyone welcomed jolly old St. Nick and went on their holiday break, the newly named Belk Memorial Gym hosted the Marion County Christmas Tournament.
The round-robin tournament consisted of six games with four teams over a three-day span. The four teams were the Marion Co. Warriors, Sequatchie Co. Indians, Moore Co. Raiders, and LaFayette Raiders.
Marion Co. concluded the tournament with a 2-1 record. However, that was only good enough for a tie with LaFayette, and Sequatchie Co., the winners by tiebreaker. Moore Co. went 0-3.
The Warriors (2-6) kicked off the tournament on Dec. 18 with a 55-51 win over Moore Co. The next day, they followed that up with a 56-49 victory over LaFayette.
But after averaging 55.5 points in the first two games, in their finale on Dec. 21, the Warriors fell 56-31 to the Indians, scoring their lowest point total of the season.
The Warriors were held to single digits in three out of four quarters against the Indians, scoring just three points in the third alone.
The Indians bested the Warriors by going beyond the arc four times and hitting nearly 60% (13-for-22) of their free throws, while Marion Co. made only two threes and went 38% (5-for-13) at the foul line.
Jayden Eakin, the highest scorer for the Warriors with eight points, drained one of the threes, while Brooks Gudger scored the other, finishing with five points.
Tilton Pickett – 4-for-8 at the foul line – EJ Wilson – 0-for-2 at the foul line – and Sam Pickett all finished with six points, respectively.
The Warriors will return to action on Jan. 5 in a rematch against the Indians (6-7) on the road in region play.
The Marion Tribune – December 28, 2023
