Don't tell Marion it's a surprise

MARION - While you may have thought the Marion Indians would have a more difficult time of it this boys' basketball season, they didn't.

“We returned some pretty good kids,” Marion Coach Mike Manderscheid said. “We just tried to do more offseason stuff, things to try and develop chemistry. We tried to get the kids together playing as much as they could.”

Whether it was offseason work or something else, Marion went 18-3 in the regular season, winning the Wamac Conference's West Division. The Indians are on a 13-game win streak going into their Class 3A district opener tonight at home against Vinton-Shellsburg, including a win last week over top-ranked Mount Pleasant, and have won 15 of 16.

Two of the three losses were to Class 4A foes Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Cedar Rapids Jefferson. And all-state point guard Amry Shelby, who was so important in leading Marion to the state tournament last season for the first time since 1952, graduated.

“We just told the kids to come out and work hard and improve every day,” said Manderscheid. “They've done a good job of doing that.”

Among the “pretty good kids” returning that Manderscheid mentioned is junior guard Kasey Semler, who leads Marion in scoring at 16.5 points per game. Semler was primarily a shooter last season, but has developed a solid all-around game.

Six-foot-5 center Hunter Sade provides Marion a very thing but tall body on the interior, averaging 12.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and over two blocks a game. Other guys like Corey Kramer, Dusty Albaugh and Dalton Combs provide state tournament experience as well.

Speaking of the state tourney, Marion has Dubuque Wahlert in its district and No. 5 Davenport Assumption in its substate. But while you may think the Indians don't have a chance to make it back-to-back trips to Des Moines, they do.

“It's tournament time,” Manderscheid said. “I know it's cliche, but it's a one-game season.”