By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Marionville boys basketball team only led Monday’s sectional game for a total of 78 seconds – but the Comets led when it mattered most.
Marionville overcame an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter with a furious 17-1 run to finish the game and toppled Crane 49-44 in a Class 2 sectional at Carthage.
“That took all we had to finish that one,” Marionville coach Rob Guerin said. “We left it on the floor there in the fourth quarter.”
The Comets, 27-2, advance to face 24-5 Hartville Friday in Warrensburg in the quarterfinal round.
Marionville led Crane for just 30 seconds in the first three quarters on Monday, and found itself trailing 43-32 with 5:17 left in the game.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Comets senior guard Wil Carlton scored the next three baskets, and two free throws by freshman Bryer Guerin made it 43-40 with 2:50 remaining.
Senior Blane Young made two more at the charity stripe, and after a Crane free throw, Young made two more to tie the game at 44 with 1:37 on the clock.
Junior Gage Guerin sank a 3-pointer from the corner with 48 seconds left, and Young added two more free throws in the final seconds to seal it.
“They definitely had a good game plan defensively,” Guerin said. “They were playing man on three and setting two in the paint. It definitely took a while and we weren’t used to seeing that. We had a lot of turnovers in the first half that we usually don’t have just because they weren’t exactly sure where the open lane or open spot was.”
“Our kids did a great job,” said Crane coach Denny Hunt. “They did the things we asked them to do. The physicality late hurt us a little bit, they were more physical than we were. We felt like with some of that physicality it maybe should have broke our way but it didn’t. I’m just proud of them. Heck of a basketball game.”
Crane, which finished 10-16, led 16-13 after a quarter and 27-15 at halftime. The Comets pulled within six midway through the third quarter, and got within four on a Bryer Guerin basket, but senior Nolan Brawley banked in a three from beyond half court at the buzzer to make it 37-30.
The Pirates then scored the first four points of the fourth to get their lead back to double digits.
Marionville’s Carlton scored 16 points, Bryer Guerin scored 14 and Young had 10 and was a perfect 6 for 6 at the line in the fourth quarter. Gage Guerin added seven and junior Hugh Eaton scored two.
Crane’s Brawley and senior Aidan Vaught each scored 13, junior Carter Hayes had 12 and freshman Owen Vaught scored six.
“The boys just worked,” Guerin said. “They worked until the final buzzer and they had to do that to win.”
