CPU rallies, then Marion prevails

MARION — Kayba Laube isn't just a long-range gunner. And she's not shy at crunch time.

The freshman saw a seam in the defense and drove for the go-ahead bucket, and Class 4A second-ranked Marion edged 3A No. 5 Center Point-Urbana, 60-57, in a Wamac Conference West Division girls' basketball showdown Friday night at Marion High School.

'I think maybe teams expect the 3-pointer out of me,' Laube said. 'So sometimes the drive is open, and if it is, I'm going to take it.'

Marion (8-0 overall, 4-0 Wamac West) escaped after CPU (7-1, 3-1) erased a 20-point deficit. The Indians led, 47-27, late in the third quarter, but Adrianna Katcher's drive knotted the score at 55-all with 52 seconds to go.

Then Laube, one of the state's most prolific and accurate 3-point artists, got the ball at the left wing. She drove through the heart of the defense for the go-ahead bucket with 32 seconds remaining.

Laube, who led all scorers with 21 points, hit two free throws with 4.7 seconds left to make it 60-57. The Stormin' Pointers got it upcourt quickly, and Katcher got a good look from 3-point range, but it hit the back rim.

The theme from both coaches afterward was identical: Great game, and we needed this.

'Regardless of outcome, we needed to be put in this kind of situation,' Marion Coach Corby Laube said. 'You can't simulate the crowd or the pressure. If you want to win a (regional-final) kind of game, you have to be put through this kind of environment.'

CPU Coach Philip Klett said, 'Before tonight, we really didn't know what we were. Now we know we have something.'

The Stormin' Pointers got down 8-0 immediately, then regrouped and took their only lead of the game, 13-12. Marion led 29-22 at halftime, then appeared poised for a rout when a 14-1 run made it 47-27.

'We finally decided we needed to put pressure on them,' Klett said. 'I figured if it works, great.'

It worked, and it almost allowed the Stormin' Pointers to steal the first of two meetings between the two teams that are miles ahead of the rest of the division.

The rematch is Jan. 27 at Center Point.

Chloe Rice added 19 points and nine rebounds for the Indians. Isabella Sade grabbed 10 boards.

Karly Millikin came off the bench to pace CPU with 14 points. Allison Wooldridge recorded 13 points and nine rebounds, but the Wisconsin-Green Bay recruit shot 3 of 16 from the floor. Katcher — a freshman who won a state cross country title last fall — posted 12 points.

MARION 60, CENTER POINT-URBANA 57

At Marion

CENTER POINT-URBANA (57): LaMia Sisk 1-6 0-0 2, Olivia Brecht 1-5 1-2 3, Sydney Boevers 1-1 0-0 3, Allison Wooldridge 3-16 6-9 13, Callyn Fox 2-4 1-2 5, Madison Willson 2-4 1-2 5, Adrianna Katcher 4-6 3-4 12, Raegan Dufoe 0-2 0-0 0, Karly Millikin 4-5 4-6 14, Rylee Clark 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-49 16-25 57.

MARION (60): Chloe Rice 7-12 4-7 19, Caitlyn Smith 2-4 0-0 5, Mia Laube 1-9 0-1 2, Sophie Willette 1-1 2-4 4, Kayba Laube 6-14 6-6 21, Maddie Knapp 2-5 0-0 5, Isabella Sade 1-3 2-4 4. Totals 20-48 14-22 60.

Halftime: Marion 29, CPU 22. 3-point goals: CPU 5-15 (Sisk 0-1, Brecht 0-3, Boevers 1-1, Wooldridge 1-3, Willson 0-2, Katcher 1-3, Millikin 2-2), Marion 6-20 (Rice 1-3, Smith 1-3, M.Laube 0-2, K.Laube 3-8, Knapp 1-4). Team fouls: CPU 19, Marion 19. Fouled out: none. Technical foul: Marion bench. Rebounds: CPU 30 (Wooldridge 9), Marion 36 (Sade 10). Assists: CPU 5 (Sisk 2), Marion 10 (M.Laube 5). Steals: CPU 8 (Dufoe 3), Marion 5 (M.Laube 2). Turnovers: CPU 9, Marion 13.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com