Leah Van Weelden will open-enroll at Marion

MARION — One of the area's richest girls' basketball programs is about to get a little more wealthy.

Marion Coach Corby Laube confirmed Thursday night that Leah Van Weelden, the leading scorer last season at Benton Community, is in the open-enrollment process, and her first class at Marion will be Monday.

A 5-foot-9 guard, Van Weelden averaged 12.7 points per game last season for the Bobcats. She is a sophomore.

She will join a stacked roster at Marion, which was the Class 4A state runner-up last season. The Indians return nearly 94 percent of their scoring from a squad that went 24-2 last season, including two-time first-team all-stater Chloe Rice and second-teamer Kayba Laube. All five starters return.

Due to the state's open-enrollment eligibility rule, Van Weelden must sit out from varsity competition for 90 school days, so she will be eligible by the first day of practice in November.

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