SHANE SHOEMAKER
Writer
Both the Marion Co. boys and girls basketball teams were defeated by Brainerd last Thursday night on the road. The boys lost 73-40, while the girls fell 54-47.
The Warriors (4-10) kept it close in the first half, going down only by four. However, it was an eight-point third quarter to the Panthers’ 26 that kept the boys’ team from keeping pace once the final buzzer sounded. Marion Co. matched Brainerd in both the second and fourth quarters and were only outscored 16-12 in the first.
The Panthers’ 26-point third quarter nearly matched the final point total for the Warriors’ junior Tilton Pickett, who finished with 25. He was kept to only two in the first but finished in the subsequent quarters with 12 points, six points, and five points, going 8-for-10 at the foul line.
Brody Leonard was the only other scorer in the third with two points. He finished the night with three total.
No other Warriors gained double-digits against the Panthers. Brooks Gudger finished with three, Zaiden Humphreys, Lennox Williamson, and James Webb all finished with two points, while EJ Wilson and Jayden Eakin each finished with four points.
The Lady Warriors (4-10) had a slow start, scoring just three points in the first quarter, which were accounted for by Milan Pemberton with two points, and Chrysia Timmis making the other at the foul line.
They picked it back up in the second, scoring 19 to the opposition’s 15, cutting the lead by three at the half with a 25-22 score.
The Lady Warriors and Lady Panthers matched each other in the third at 10 a piece, with Marion Co. going 6-for-10 at the foul line. Pemberton would score the other four points.
In the fourth, Brainerd outmatched Marion Co. by just one point, 16-15. Jacy Gatlin made all 11 of her points scored in the quarter. Lawson Bradford would also score a three-pointer that ended up tying her, Gatlin, and Pemberton as the highest scorers of the night. Tori Rymer and Timmis each scored a free throw in the last frame.
The Warriors will have their Queen of the Court ceremony between the varsity girls and varsity boys games on Friday night against Sequatchie County.
The Marion Tribune – February 1, 2024
