Instant classic: Marion outlasts Maquoketa, 97-95, in 4-overtime 3A substate semifinal thriller

MARION — Guys were cramping, guys were fouling out. With whatever energy they had left, one team’s guys would make a big shot or defensive play, then the other team’s guys would counter with a big shot or defensive play.

Marion and Maquoketa played a Class 3A substate semifinal boys’ basketball game Thursday night. And played and played and played.

After two-plus hours and four overtimes, there was a final score. Finally.

Marion 97, Maquoketa 95.

OK, everyone. Let’s take one giant collective exhale together now after watching this nerve-racking, pulse-raising, emotionally-draining drama that fits the cliche of hating to see one team lose.

“I’ve never, ever been in a game like that in my life,” said Marion center Kylar Whitman, one of the crampers. He still was able to power his way to a 33-point night, using his 6-foot-6 body to overwhelm Maquoketa’s much-shorter defenders.

“All we know as a team is to just fight,” Whitman said. “We just fight to the end, no matter what. No matter if we’re down 20, up 20, it don’t matter. We just fight, fight, fight. That’s all I’ve got to say.”

“It felt like two games. It really did,” said Maquoketa’s Tye Hardin. “I can’t believe my career is over. Four years on the varsity. It’s tough.”

The fateful fourth overtime went back and forth. Duh.

Whitman was sixth-ranked Marion’s primary guy offensively early, Hardin was Maquoketa’s. Marion went up 92-89, but Maquoketa’s Ty Hinz was fouled on a 3-point attempt and made all three free throws to tie it up yet again at 92 with 1:01 left.

Whitman put Marion up 94-92, but Maquoketa sophomore Parker Burmeister nailed a 3 to put the Cardinals ahead with 20 seconds left, 95-94.

Marion again fed Whitman, and he drew a foul with 6.7 to go. He made the first of two free throws, but missed the second.

It appeared Maquoketa had the rebound, but Marion kept clawing for it, with Austin Goodrich eventually securing it and being fouled. He hit two free throws with 3.1 left.

“I saw the kid on me was a little smaller, so I knew I had a good chance to get the rebound,” Goodrich said. “I just closed my eyes and said ‘Go get the board.’ (The free throws) I knew I had it. I was 4-for-4 going in, and I knew that ‘Let’s knock these down, and it’s party time.’”

That came only after Hinz was able to take an inbounds pass, power dribble down the right side of the court, spin and get off a running shot just inside the half-court line that went around and out. He collapsed on the floor in desolation, while Marion students poured onto the court to celebrate the end of this instant classic with Wolves players.

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“At the end, it just seemed like we outlasted them,” Marion Coach Pete Messerli said. “We’d stave off a last-second attempt from them, had a couple that didn’t work out for us. We’re just hanging around, we never went away, we never gave up, we never got down mentally. Guys just kept stepping up.”

Maquoketa (14-9), which knocked off Cedar Rapids Xavier in a substate opener Monday night, led by two points after each of the first three quarters, with the fourth going back and forth. It got one helluva performance from Hardin, as the senior guard-forward scored 45 points, all but willing his team to victory.

The Cardinals are a short team but to make up for that play a frenetic pace. Hardin and teammates drove with no fear to the basket repeatedly and either put up a shot, tried to draw a foul or kicked outside to open teammates for 3-point attempts.

Carter Meyer added 16 points for Maquoketa and Hinz 12. Starters Meyer, Hardin and Eli Lemke all had fouled out by the end of the game, as had Marion starters Jordan Fischer and Josh Noll.

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Grayson Kirsch added 22 points and Goodrich 20 for a Marion team that gets ninth-ranked Davenport Assumption (15-8) in a 3A substate final Monday night at 8 at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse in downtown Cedar Rapids.

Marion will be going for its third straight state tournament appearance. This would be a surprise one, considering it lost Brayson Laube, the school’s all-time leading scorer, to graduation, along with others, had one starter transfer to a school in Florida to concentrate on baseball and another who couldn’t play because of Tommy John elbow surgery.

“When we started this season, we didn’t have any returners,” Goodrich said. “Some of us came back, we had a bunch of new guys, we just went out and wanted to compete every day ... We come in not expecting too much out of the year, but we come in and we get the win. Now it’s onto substate.”

Marion 97, Maquoketa 95

AT MARION

MAQUOKETA (95): Eli Lemke 2-4 2-3 6, Tye Hardin 19-33 5-9 45, Carter Meyer 6-16 2-2 16, Ty Hinz 3-8 5-10 12, Derek Wilhelm 0-2 0-0 0, Nolan Ehlinger 2-6 0-1 4, Brant Bennis 0-2 0-0 0, Parker Burmeister 3-9 0-0 8, Spencer Lamar 0-0 0-0 0, Brayden DeForest 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 37-81 14-25 95.

MARION (97): Kylar Whitman 15-20 3-6 33, Austin Goodrich 6-17 6-6 20, Jordan Fischer 3-12 0-0 7, Grayson Kirsch 9-16 3-6 22, Josh Noll 3-5 0-0 7 Tyler Farber 1-2 0-0 3, Kaleb Diers 1-3 0-0 2, Tait Rahe 1-2 0-0 3, Jaryn Griffith 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 39-77 12-18 97.

Halftime - Maquoketa 32, Marion 30. End of Regulation - 68-68. End of First Overtime - 72-72. End of Second Overtime - 77-77. End of Third Overtime - 85-85. 3-point goals - Maquoketa 7-33 (Hardin 2-7, Meyer 2-9, Hinz 1-4, Ehlinger 0-3, Bennis 0-2, Burmeister 2-8), Marion 7-19 (Goodrich 2-7, Fischer 1-6, Kirsch 1-2, Noll 1-1, Farber 1-2, Rahe 1-1). Rebounds - Maquoketa 42 (Lemke, Hardin 8), Marion 44 (Kirsch 12). Total fouls - Maquoketa 21, Marion 21. Fouled out - Hardin, Lemke, Meyer, Fischer, Noll. Turnovers - Maquoketa 20, Marion 26.

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