Center Point-Urbana shuts out Marion in final 6:11 to post key 48-37 win

MARION — With his team behind in the fourth quarter Friday night, JoJo Frost jumped a perimeter pass, intercepted it, drove down court and scored a basket.

Then he jumped another perimeter pass, intercepted it and drove down court for an and-one three-point play. Then he jumped another perimeter pass, intercepted it ...

You get the idea.

'We scout a lot as a team, and we know where they like to go during the game,' the ultra-quick senior guard said, after his defensive heroics helped rally Center Point-Urbana past Marion, 48-37, in a key Wamac Conference boys' basketball game. 'So I was kind of just using my instincts. It worked out.'

The Stormin' Pointers held Marion to five points in the final period and shut the Indians out over the final 6:11 to stay on top of the Wamac's West Division. CP-U (12-4 overall) has won eight in a row and is 9-2 in the division, with three left games left to play.

Marion dropped to 10-6, 7-4. Benton Community and Vinton-Shellsburg went into Friday with three division losses apiece.

'That was big,' Center Point-Urbana's Grant Dirks said of Frost's steals hat trick. 'That changed tempo a lot. We got the tempo after that and held it the rest of the game. That was a big game changer.'

'Our guys really amped it up,' said CP-U Coach Mike Halac. 'We focus on our defense all the time in practice. We're just a tough, gritty, hard-working team. We have some guys with high skill sets, but our guys play together.'

A Chase Zielke 3-pointer put Marion on top, 37-34, but it was nada the rest of the way for an Indians team that has struggled all season offensively. Marion went into Friday shooting 37.1 percent from the field, 60th of 64 teams in Class 3A.

The 6-foot-5 Dirks (averaging 21 a game) really asserted himself down the stretch, finishing with a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds. He was one of only four Stormin' Pointers to score, with only six playing.

'We've got kids who are willing to go to war for us,' said Halac, whose team won the Wamac West last season. 'They are going to stick their chests out and take a charge, dive on loose balls. They're going to trust us when we say don't let him get a shot off. All that is a culmination of what our defensive philosophy is. Just play hard.'

Zielke finished with 16 points for Marion, 13 of which came in the second half. The Indians shot but one free throw the entire game, that coming in the first half.

AT MARION

CENTER POINT-URBANA (48): Mitchell McCauley 3-8 2-4 8, Grant Dirks 8-15 1-1 18, Dylan Harris 3-13 3-7 11, JoJo Frost 5-9 1-3 11, Jared Metzen 0-3 0-0 0, Alex Wade 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 18-49 7-15 48.

MARION (37): Trevor Paulsen 2-4 0-0 3, Mitch Wiese 2-6 0-0 4, Jevin Manderscheid 0-3 0-0 0, Chase Zielke 6-14 0-0 16, Baylor Fish 2-5 0-0 5, Alex Whalen 2-5 1-1 5, Grant Meth 0-0 0-0 0, Isaac Keehner 0-0 0-0 0, Mathew Brase 1-3 0-0 3. Totals 11-40 1-1 37.

Halftime — Marion 19, Center Point-Urbana 19. 3-point goals — Center Point-Urbana 3-18 (McCauley 0-2, Dirks 1-2, Harris 2-9, Frost 0-1, Metzen 0-3, Wade 0-1), Marion 6-18 (Manderscheid 0-3, Zielke 4-7, Fish 1-3, Whalen 0-2, Brase 1-3). Rebounds — Center Point-Urbana 29 (Dirks 11), Marion 27 (Wiese 7). Total fouls — Center Point-Urbana 6, Marion 16. Fouled out — None. Turnovers — Center Point-Urbana 10, Marion 18.

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