This time around, it’s all Marion against Dyersville Beckman

MARION — Pete Messerli isn’t exactly sure how the Wamac Conference officially works it.

What is first place?

“I think it’s all overall,” the Marion boys’ basketball coach said, after his team smacked Dyersville Beckman, 59-40, Friday night. “Then you break it down into divisions, two division winners. Even though all the conference games matter.”

Let’s just throw all the scenarios out there.

Marion is 11-3 overall, 8-2 against all Wamac opponents and 5-2 against fellow East Division foes. Beckman is 9-4 overall, 7-3 against all Wamac opponents and 5-2 in the East.

Williamsburg is unbeaten in Wamac play over in the West. Which means Marion and Beckman are either in second place overall, tied for first place in the East or Marion is ahead by a game.

“Honestly, I don’t look too far into it,” Messerli said. “I suppose I could just ask.”

Marion was super impressive here in reversing the result of a game between the teams about three weeks ago in Dyersville. Beckman won that one, 63-60.

This game was not really in doubt the other way. Marion extended a four-point lead after a quarter into a 32-14 edge at the half.

The Wolves’ offense was spread out, with guard Brayson Laube leading the way with 13 points, Myles Davis adding 10 and three players eight each. Marion was able to score on the interior, on the drive and from distance (9 for 18 from 3-point range).

“We kind of had a bad taste in our mouths from the first time. We were just super upset that we lost,” Laube said. “We wanted revenge, we wanted to play better than we did the first time.”

Marion did an expert job defensively on Beckman’s leading scorer Padraig Gallagher. The junior wing came in averaging 21 points a game but had just 12 here.

Beckman shot just 33 percent from the field, including going 1 for 17 from distance.

“I think in the past game, we played a little slower and let them kind of (dictate play),” center Boede Rahe said. “We pushed them this time and made them play against us. We slowed them down.”

“We were really solid in what we did on both ends of the floor,” Messerli said. “We made Gallagher, who is phenomenal, work really hard for his shots. We kept him about nine points under his average, were great with off-the-ball help, put pressure on him. Offensively we moved the ball, we created for our teammates, hooked up our teammates with the next pass. We just flowed really well, were fluid.”

Just the opposite of Beckman.

“I just think Marion did a really good job of getting in our shorts and forcing some shots from us that we don’t want to take such early in the possession,” said Beckman Coach Michael Molony. “They did a really good job amping their defensive intensity especially from the first time we played. We kind of played into that, did some things that were uncharacteristic. Didn’t really attack them enough to try and get a little easier shots. Those inside-out shots are what you want.”

AT MARION

DYERSVILLE BECKMAN (40): Cayden Gassmann 3-4 0-2 6, Padraig Gallagher 5-12 2-4 12, Logan Burchard 1-8 0-0 2, Logan Goedken 3-10 4-4 11, Ryan Burchard 3-4 0-0 6, Eli Kluesner 0-3 0-0 0, Trent Arens 0-1 0-0 0, Eric Heinrichs 0-1 0-0 0, Aiden Wessels 1-4 1-2 3, Drew Thier 0-1 0-0 0, Max Oberbroecking 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 16-49 7-12 40.

MARION (59): Myles Davis 4-7 0-0 10, Boede Rahe 4-6 0-0 8, Kaden Frommelt 0-1 0-0 0, Alex Mota 3-7 0-0 8, Brayson Laube 5-9 1-3 13, Calen Claypool 2-6 0-0 4, Jordan Fischer 2-5 0-0 5, Cael Hodges 1-5 1-2 3, Payton Hodges 3-4 0-0 8, Nathan Whalen 0-0 0-0 0, John Harker 0-0 0-0 0, Ryan Whitson 0-1 0-0 0, Elijah Smith 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-63 2-5 59.

Halftime - Marion 32, Beckman 14. 3-point goals - Beckman 1-17 (Gallagher 0-4, L. Burchard 0-3, Goedken 1-3, R. Burchard 0-1, Kluesner 0-3, Wessels 0-2, Thier 0-1), Marion 9-18 (Davis 2-3, Mota 2-3, Laube 2-4, Fischer 1-3, C. Hodges 0-2, P. Hodges 2-3, Harker 0-1). Rebounds - Beckman 37 (Gallagher 11), Marion 24 (Mota 4). Total fouls - Beckman 8, Marion 14. Fouled out - None. Turnovers - Beckman 14, Marion 5.

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