Young Indians grind past DeWitt Central

MARION — They're young, but don't talk about the Marion Indians strictly in future terms.

They're hungry to make some noise now.

'There's a saying: The ball doesn't care how old you are,' said Chloe Rice.

So if the ball doesn't care, why should we?

Seventh-ranked Marion survived a somewhat choppy performance and downed No. 15 DeWitt Central, 47-38, in a Class 4A girls' basketball regional semifinal Saturday night at Marion High School.

The Indians (18-4) won their 11th straight game and earned a regional-final berth opposite No. 6 North Scott on Tuesday at Eldridge. The Lancers (18-4) handled Clinton, 60-17, Saturday.

Marion's starting lineup consists of three sophomores and two freshmen. Another freshman and another sophomore are key reserves.

Ninth-grader Maddie Knapp admitted to some jitters Saturday.

'I kept busy all day,' she said. 'I kept doing stuff so I wasn't thinking about it all day.'

Knapp had two of the Indians' key second-half moments. With Central (15-7) still in striking range at 26-23, Knapp was fouled upon releasing a 3-point attempt. She hit all three free throws.

Then she swished a 3-pointer with 4:40 left to give the Indians a 39-30 cushion, and the Sabers didn't get closer than seven points again.

'She's never shy to give it a whirl,' Marion Coach Corby Laube said.

Knapp said, 'I'll shoot it if I think I can make it. If somebody else has a better shot, I won't take it.'

Rice, a sophomore, led all scorers with 17 points. Caitlin Smith added eight, Knapp seven.

Central's Amanda Brainerd registered 16 points and nine rebounds, but had to work hard for them. Isabella Sade made life difficult for the Central post game when she was on the floor.

'That's what Bella does,' Laube said. 'She gives us a big lift.'

The Sabers led through much of the first half, but Marion closed with the final five points and took a 23-18 lead to the locker room. The Indians led the rest of the way, but 'it was a grind, and we knew it would be,' Laube said.

MARION 47, DeWITT CENTRAL 38

At Marion

DeWITT CENTRAL (38): Kali Roling 3-11 3-6 10, Hailey Saunders 0-2 0-0 0, Brittany McNamara 0-4 0-0 0, Amanda Brainerd 6-11 4-4 16, Emily Cornelius 1-3 0-0 2, Maggie Murphy 0-3 1-2 1, Sydney Small 2-4 1-2 5, Callaway Kinney 1-3 2-2 4, Victoria Gaston 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 13-42 11-16 38.

MARION (47): Chloe Rice 6-15 5-8 17, Caitlyn Smith 3-4 0-0 8, Randi Wright 0-2 3-4 3, Mia Laube 1-3 2-3 4, Sophie Willette 1-1 0-0 3, Isabella Sade 0-0 3-4 3, Elle Herold 1-5 0-2 2, Maddie Knapp 1-3 4-5 7, Tessa Jordan 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 13-33 17-26 47.

Halftime: Marion 23, Central 18. 3-point goals: Central 1-8 (Roling 1-6, Brainerd 0-1, Small 0-1), Marion 4-15 (Rice 0-4, Smith 2-3, Wright 0-1, Laube 0-1, Willette 1-1, Herold 0-3, Knapp 1-2). Team fouls: Central 21, Marion 17. Fouled out: none. Technical foul: Brainerd. Rebounds: Central 30 (Brainerd 9), Marion 26 (Laube 7). Assists: Central 4 (Saunders, Murphy 2), Marion 5 (Rice, Laube 2). Steals: Central 6 (Roling, Murphy 2), Marion 5 (Smith 2). Turnovers: Central 14, Marion 16.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com