Marion-Benton meet again with state berth on line

MARION - It was two weeks ago, and his team had just throttled Benton Community by 21 points to grab a share of the Wamac Conference's West Division championship.

A reporter mentioned to Marion boys' basketball coach Mike Manderscheid how he bet Manderscheid would love to guarantee there'd be another game with the Bobcats. After a little while to let the seemingly crazy comment sink in, Manderscheid smiled.

“Yeah, you're right,” he said.

A little explanation here. Marion and Benton were in opposite districts of the same Class 3A substate, with another meeting meaning the clubs won their first two postseason games.

Look what happened. It's Marion and Benton tonight in the back half of what should be a fine 3A substate final doubleheader at the U.S. Cellular Center.

Solon (21-2) and Dubuque Wahlert (17-6) kick things off at 6:30. Winners move on to the state tournament next week in Des Moines.

“Our season has been up and down, up and down,” Manderscheid said. “January was tough for us. Credit our kids for coming out in February and putting it all together. This is the result.”

Marion lost four games in January but has won seven in a row going into tonight's affair. That includes that 61-40 win over BC on Feb. 8.

The Bobcats (16-7) won the first game between the teams Jan. 6 in Van Horne, 57-56.

“A good learning lesson,” Benton Coach Larry Carlson said of the latter game. “We're not going to let one game here define our season.”

Both teams are attempting to make it to state for the second time in three years. Marion's trip two years ago was its first in 57 years.

Seniors Kasey Semler, Dusty Albaugh and Tyler Fisher were on that team. Senior Zach Twedt was a starter on Benton's state team two years ago.

“We're a pretty senior-oriented team,” Albaugh said. “The juniors step in and help us out ... But you know, it's five starters, five seniors. It's been a goal of ours to get back to state. Kasey, Tyler and I know what that's like. We want another taste of that.”

Solon was the Class 2A state runner-up last season and has made the transition up a class seamlessly, just like the Spartans' state champion football team.

Solon knocked off one perennial 3A biggie last week in its district final, stopping Davenport Assumption, 51-44.

Now it gets to tackle another traditional power that plays in a 4A conference. Wahlert smacked DeWitt Central in its district final 63-40.

Central gave Solon one of its losses.