By Michael Cignoli (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Coming off a season that included the program’s first district championship since 2019, the Marionville boys basketball team shows no signs of slowing down.
The Comets return a pair of starters from last season’s juggernaut team that also won the Southwest Conference title and advanced to the state quarterfinals, ultimately falling to a Hartville team that placed fourth in Class 2.
Seven other Comets saw some amount of varsity playing time during that run — and that depth and experience leave the Comets poised to compete for additional titles this season.
“The team came in this summer and worked hard to continue to improve,” Comets coach Rob Guerin said. “We lost some good seniors and adjusted some roles for others this summer. We also have a few newcomers that could be competing for varsity roles or possibly starting. This makes practice more competitive and makes everyone better.”
Marionville boasts a four-player senior class, including all-conference and all-district honoree Gage Guerin. The coach’s son averaged 12 points per game last season, a number that should increase as he takes on some of the responsibilities shared by Class of 2023 graduates Blane Young, Kolby Ghan and all-state selection Wil Carlton.
That trio accounted for a good amount of Marionville’s scoring last year, but Gage Guerin has already proven to be a game-changer who rises to the challenge.
“Gage stepped up and had big impacts in multiple games last year with his shooting from the perimeter,” Rob Guerin said. “He is also the vocal leader of the group and is like having a coach on the floor.”
Classmates Hugh Eaton, Garrett Grimm and Isaac Stimpson will also transition into leadership roles in their final year of high school basketball.
Eaton appeared in all of Marionville’s games last season, while Grimm missed just one. The duo combined to average 5.5 points and 4.7 rebounds a night.
“Eaton played valuable minutes last season and played good defense on multiple good players,” Rob Guerin said. “He needs to continue to develop his offense along with defense, as his minutes will increase this season.”
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“Grimm could possibly be our hardest worker and is very coachable,” the coach added. ”He can play multiple positions and is a very good passer.”
Stimpson appeared in a dozen varsity games last season, but should feature more prominently in the team’s plans this winter.
“Stimpson is a perimeter player that can get hot from deep and take some of the ball-handling responsibilities at times,” Rob Guerin said.
That senior leadership group will help set the tone for Marionville’s season.
“We expect everyone to come back into the program ready as always,” Gage Guerin said. “We’re gonna have to work harder in practice this year to get where we were last year. We have a good group of underclassmen that could help us along the way.”
Those underclassmen include his younger brother, Bryer Guerin, who earned all-district honors after averaging seven points per game as a freshman.
“Bryer had a great freshman year and was one of the area’s best on-ball defenders,” Rob Guerin said. “He needs to continue to improve his range and shooting to be a threat from anywhere on the floor.”
Cash Pomeroy, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound sophomore, could become a force in the paint. He also cracked the varsity lineup last winter, appearing in 11 games as a freshman.
“Pomeroy will see increased minutes with his strength inside,” Rob Guerin said. “He will need to finish around the basket and rebound consistently every night.”
Juniors Owen Willis, Angel Quezada and Braydon Bellah all saw action for Marionville last season, while classmates David Brown and Eli Epperson are varsity newcomers who will compete for playing time.
Freshmen Garrison Smith and Jason Bowers will also look to make an immediate impact.
“The group played well together this summer and competed on a daily basis,” Rob Guerin said. “We need to continue to improve every day to be able to compete at the level that is expected of them.”
The Comets will open the season in the Marionville Invitational, which begins November 27. The team will not participate in a preseason jamboree, as the team is anticipating another deep run from a football team that has won district championships in two of the past three seasons.
“With a successful football program — and the majority of the basketball team plays football — they have to come to practice focused,” Rob Guerin said. “They don’t usually get many days off between sports, but they usually come in with a winning mindset and ready to compete.”
