Marion goes from 16 points down to a 19-point win over Mount Vernon

MARION - This was a surprising outcome. Borderline shocking.

Not that Marion’s boys’ basketball team beating Class 3A 10th-ranked Mount Vernon was either of those things Tuesday night. That’s not the main story here.

It was just the way the Wolves went about doing it. You’re down by 16 points in the first half and win by 19, that’s surprising.

A 65-46 final was, well, borderline shocking.

“We needed this,” said Marion Coach Pete Messerli. “That’s the best we’ve played all year ... The best team ball we’ve played on both ends.”

At least in the second half.

This was a 33-17 game with 2:15 to go in the second quarter. That’s with Mount Vernon leading.

But Marion ended the half on an 8-1 run and used that momentum to completely dominate the final two quarters. A Jaryn Griffith 3-pointer put the Wolves (6-8) up for good, 33-32, then a Mason Wagner trey followed.

Tait Rahe’s 3 early in the fourth quarter put Marion up 51-41. The Wolves were 15 of 28 from the field in the second half, including 7 of 12 from long range.

“We started moving the ball really well, had lots of assists,” said Rahe, a sophomore wing who had a team-high 19 points, including four treys. “We just started playing together a lot. It was just a really good team game.”

Meanwhile, Mount Vernon couldn’t buy a bucket. The Mustangs were 4 of 24 from the field in the second half (16.7 percent), including 0 of 10 from 3-point territory.

Center Joe Briesemeister led MV (11-2) with 23 points, though only seven came in the second half. Leading scorer Kellen Haverback was held to nine points, about half his average.

“Our defense was tremendous,” Messerli said. “The guys just scrapped on defense, they were in the right spots. We took away the good looks that they had. We limited them to one shot attempt, then we were on the move, which turned into great team offense on the other end. We were moving very well off the ball, were finding open cutters, making the extra pass for open shots.”

Things generally have been uneven for the Wolves (6-8), who ended a three-game losing streak. The hope is this game will be a season changer.

“I think this just starts it,” Rahe said. “We’ve got lots of momentum now. We’ve got a big game on Friday (at West Delaware), and we’re just going to go back out there and keep playing hard, and hopefully getting wins.”

Griffith (15), Brooks Coates (13) and Austin Goodrich (10) also scored double figures for Marion.

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AT MARION

MOUNT VERNON (46): Kellen Haverback 3-13 2-2 9, Josef Briesemeister 9-19 5-8 23, Stratton Ellyson 0-6 0-0 0, Seth Rushford 2-3 0-0 5, Cole Thurn 3-6 0-0 7, Maddox Thede 0-2 0-2 0, Brogan Meyer 1-2 0-0 2, Landon Wilson 0-0 0-0 0, Tommy Rhomberg 0-1 0-0 0, Jayden Scieszinski 0-0 0-0 0, Charlie Weldon 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-51 7-12 46.

MARION (65): Brooks Coates 6-8 1-1 13, Tait Rahe 7-11 1-1 19, Grayson Kirsch 1-6 0-2 2, Jaryn Griffith 5-13 1-2 15, Austin Goodrich 4-11 1-2 10, Mason Wagner 2-3 0-0 6, Calvin Andresen 0-0 0-0 0, Landon Tilkes 0-0 0-0 0, Caden Kinzenbaw 0-0 0-0 0, Andrew Ahmann 0-0 0-0 0, Noah Fischer 0-0 0-0 0, Evan Kinney 0-0 0-0 0, Myles Gatrelle 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-52 4-8 65.

Halftime - Mount Vernon 34, Marion 25. 3-point goals - Mount Vernon 3-20 (Haverback 1-5, Briesemeister 0-3, Ellison 0-6, Rushford 1-2, Thurn 1-3, Thede 0-1, Rhomberg 0-1), Marion 11-22 (Rahe 4-7, Griffith 4-7, Goodrich 1-5, Wagner 2-3). Rebounds - Mount Vernon 26 (Briesemeister 7), Marion 35 (Kirsch 11). Total fouls - Mount Vernon 12, Marion 8. Fouled out - Ellyson. Turnovers - Mount Vernon 8, Marion 13.

Comments: (319)-398-8258, jeff.johnson@thegazette.com