10 Best: Mount Vernon at Marion
MARION — In a key WaMaC East showdown on Thursday night, it was 3A #9 Marion who seized control of the division with a 59-55 win over 3A #4 Mount Vernon, in a game they led wire-to-wire. Marion jumped out…
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Continue ReadingMARION — In a key WaMaC East showdown on Thursday night, it was 3A #9 Marion who seized control of the division with a 59-55 win over 3A #4 Mount Vernon, in a game they led wire-to-wire.
Marion jumped out to a 16-1 lead within the first four minutes, behind an onslaught of 3s from Brayson Laube, Gage Franck, Jaffer Murphy and Will Henricksen. They held a 20-12 edge after the first eight minutes, and led 34-25 at halftime.
In the second half, Mount Vernon battled back, trimming the lead down to 5 points on multiple occasions, only for Marion to answer. Star guard Keaton Kutcher battled foul trouble throughout the game, but his split free throws with 1:50 left in the third quarter brought the Mustangs within 4, the closest they had been since it was 3-0. Marion guard Will Henricksen answered with back-to-back 3s to push the lead back to 10.
In the fourth quarter, the ‘Stangs were finally able to trim the lead down to a single possession, and with under a minute to play, they had multiple good looks from Kutcher from 3 to tie it up. Neither fell. Connor Whalen made a pair of free throws with 41.8 to go to push the lead back to 5. Kutcher had a drive and finish to get it back to 3. After a front-end miss by Marion, Kutcher had an off-balance look for another 3 to tie that missed. Jaffer Murphy grabbed the rebound, split his free throws and that was all she wrote.
Marion (9-1) grabbed control of the East Division this week with this win and a win over Beckman Catholic on Tuesday night. They’re now 8-1 in league play, while the Blazers and Mustangs each have two league losses (as does Central DeWitt). The Indians were led by Will Henricksen, who had a game-high 20 points, including 15 in the second half. Jaffer Murphy added 13 in the win, and the Indians were 12-21 from 3.
Mount Vernon (9-2) was led by Keaton Kutcher, who had 17 points, but he battled foul trouble throughout the game and was never really able to get into a rhythm. Noah Erickson had 16 points and Jayden Meeker added 11 off the bench in the loss.
Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | F |
Mount Vernon | 12 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 55 |
Marion | 20 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 59 |
Mount Vernon: Keaton Kutcher 17, Noah Erickson 16, Jayden Meeker 11, Collin Swantz 4, Kode Banwart 3, Nolan Brand 2, Derek Jordan 2
Marion: Will Henricksen 20, Jaffer Murphy 13, Connor Whalen 7, Gage Franck 7, Brayson Laube 6, Lucas Unsen 3, Cael Hodges 3
MVP: Will Henricksen (Marion)
Best shooter: Henricksen (Marion)
Best scorer: Henricksen (Marion)
Henricksen is a streaky shooter, but had a fantastic game here, going 6-10 from behind the arc, including 5-6 in the second half en route to his game-high 20 points. He’s more effective shooting off the catch and when he gets it in rhythm, he can light it up in a hurry.
Best rebounder: Jaffer Murphy (Marion)
Best defender: Murphy (Marion)
Murphy, an athletic 5-11 senior guard, had the task of defending star guard Keaton Kutcher for most of the evening, and he did a nice job, limiting Kutcher to 17 points on 6-18 shooting. A quick guard with great lateral movement and length, he also chipped in eight rebounds and 13 points in the win.
Best underclassman: Brayson Laube (Marion)
Best ball handler: Laube (Marion)
The 5-11 freshman guard has outstanding ball handling ability and will be able to use those ball handling abilities and quickness to get to the rim for finishes as he continues to add strength. He’s small right now, but he’s a dead-eye shooter, he sees the floor well and he’s a solid defender.
Highest upside: Keaton Kutcher (Mount Vernon)
Kutcher is one of the state’s best shooters, and I was reminded of former Iowa City West guard Wyatt Lohaus when I was watching him warm up. He has a dynamic mid-range game and is a great 3-point shooter (even though his percentage may not agree). He has a quick, repeatable release and extended range. He’ll need to continue developing the other parts of his game, but his shooting will translate to the next level.
Intriguing prospect: Noah Erickson (Mount Vernon)
Erickson is a 6-2 wing with a great feel for the game and a fantastic floater game. He finished with 16 points and is a tremendously efficient scorer who is shooting over 60% from the floor. He has great length and is an athletic, slashing wing who knows where he excels and plays to that.
Best player off the bench: Jayden Meeker (Mount Vernon)
A 6-0 wing, Meeker scored 11 points and had 5 rebounds off the bench, knocking down three 3s and making an impact on both ends of the floor.