North Marion pulls away from Red Riders
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WEIRTON -- The Weir High boys basketball team went shot for shot with state-ranked North Marion for the majority of Saturday night.
The Red Riders had the Huskies on the ropes, but they could not deliver the knockout punch. North Marion, the No. 1 ranked team in West Virginia Class AA Region 1, rallied in the second half and pulled away late, en route to a 72-55 victory on Ron "Fritz" Williams Court inside the Carl Hamill Fieldhouse.
"We did," Weir (10-6) head coach Mike Granato said about his team going toe-to-toe with the Huskies. "They shot the ball extremely well, and I think this was our best shooting night of the year.
"I don't think it was a 17-point game. I felt we had to foul at the end of the game, and they put us away. I liked our effort and our mentality. We pulled together."
A 3-point shootout broke out during the game, as the two team's netted 17 3-pointers in the game. North Marion (15-2) made nine, while Weir made eight.
"For us to do that is crazy," Granato said. "We are lucky to make nine in a month. What I liked tonight was we had 16 or 17 assists. We shared the basketball extremely well. We found the open person. When Elijah (Gillette) got hot, we did a great job of getting him the ball. Then, when (Brodie) McUmar hit a couple of 3s, we did a good job of getting him the ball.
"I thought that would be a strength coming into the season. It hasn't been, but the key is it's February, and you want to be playing good basketball. Win or lose, you want to be playing at a high level in February. If we keep playing this way, I think we can be a pretty good team come tournament time."
Gillette collected a game-high 27 points to lead the way for Weir. Gillette tallied five 3-pointers on the night, and he scored 23 points in the first half, helping the Red Riders lead by two points at halftime. McUmar delivered seven points to finish second on the team in scoring.
Gunner Murphy, who became the fifth player in North Marion history to surpass 1,000 career points, produced a team-high 25 points to lead the way for the Huskies. Murphy made four of his team's nine shots from beyond the arc.
"He's a good player," Granato said. "I thought Sebastian Spencer did a good job on him for the most part. He is as good as advertised. He is a super player. He is a tough kid to stop. He is as good of a wing as there is in AA in the state of West Virginia."
Also for the victors, Praise Chukwudozie collected 15 points and Michael Garrett 14.
The Huskies led, 52-47, entering the fourth quarter, and a basket on the inside extended the their lead to 59-51. The Red Riders responded with the next four points to remain within striking distance at 59-55 with more than three minutes left, but the hosts did not score again. The visitors ended the game on a 13-0 run to seal the deal.
"There were no surprises," Granato said. "It's February. Everyone has seen everyone. We knew they shot the ball well. They are a team that has played eight games in 14 days, and they shot the ball well."
Both teams shot the ball well and had the lead in the first quarter. The victors hit three 3-pointers -- two by Murphy -- in the first eight minutes, while Gillette finished the first quarter with nine points. North Marion made the final two baskets of the quarter to take a 17-13 lead into the second quarter.
Both teams continued to score at will in the second. Once again, both teams led in the quarter. The Huskies led by as many as six points before the Red Riders stormed back and took a 34-32 lead into the locker room at halftime.
North Marion went on to outscore Weir, 40-21, in the second half, thanks in large part to its game-ending 13-0 run.
Both teams continued to execute on the offensive end in the third. The Red Riders scored first to take a four-point lead. The Huskies came back to tie the score, and they ripped off a spurt late in the quarter to take a five-point lead into the fourth.
"I think so," Granato said asked if the game was something his team could build off of going into the remainder of its season. "I think we can build on the first three quarters."
GAME NOTE
North Marion won the JV game, 74-71. Parker Kincell contributed a game-high 25 points to lead the way for the Huskies, while Preston Williams tallied 24. Charles Zagula scored a team-high 17 points to lead the Red Riders, while Gage Reitter recorded 14.
UP NEXT
North Marion: Travels to Lewis County on Wednesday.
Weir High: Travels to Brooke on Friday. The Red Riders defeated the Bruins, 62-51, back on Jan. 17 at home.
"I think the break is good for us right now, but we have some kids who are sick and beat up," Granato said. "We have had a three-game week. The flu is going through the school. We are going to give the kids a couple days off. They are off tomorrow, and we also gave them Monday off. Hopefully, they will be able to recover in the next couple of days."
North Marion 72, Weir 55
North Marion 17-15-20-20 -- 72
Weir 13-21-13-8 -- 55
NORTH MARION (15-2): Miller 3 0-0 7; Tobin 2 0-0 6; Darden 1 0-0 3; Kincell 0 0-0 0; Funkhouser 0 2-2 2; Baker 0 0-0 0; Murphy 6 9-12 25; Garrett 6 2-3 14; Chukwudozie 6 2-2 15. TOTALS: 24, 15-20: 72.
WEIR (10-6): Spencer 2 0-0 4; McUmar 2 1-2 7; Gillette 10 2-3 27; Nutter 3 0-0 6; Mikula 2 0-2 4; Cross 0 0-0 0; Nasko 2 0-4 5; Kelly 0 2-2 2. TOTALS: 21, 5-13: 55.
3-POINTERS: North Marion 9 (Murphy 4, Tobin 2, Miller, Darden, Chukwudozie); Weir 8 (Gillette 5, McUmar 2, Nasko).