Marion Local’s Brayden Mescher scores two of his 17 points over Versailles Carson Bergman in the Flyers’ Friday win. (Press Pros Feature Photo by Julie McMaken Wright)
Marion Local turned to what it does best Friday, its defense holding down Versailles’ offense enough to score a 58-51 win on the road.
Versailles, OH – Marion Local basketball coach Kurt Goettemoeller got his wish in handing a talented Versailles team its first loss in eight outings.
Goettemoeller got tough, physical defense, and balanced scoring from junior Brayden Mescher and senior Austin Niekamp (17 points each). Give him that on a consistent basis, and the Flyers are a tough out against anyone.
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“I told the kids…you’ve earned the right to have a game like this,” said Goettemoeller. “You’ve have a good start (7-0), but we knew that this would be our toughest test by far.
“They (Versailles) have three excellent perimeter kids and perimeter defense was one of my worries at the beginning of the year. Obviously we’re good inside with Austin’s size (Niekamp), but I though our kids competed their butts off tonight, and out on the perimeter. Because their three guards are really, really, really good.”
And to his point, the opening quarter proved that Drake Ahrens and Ethan Wilker (two of the three) could match Marion’s size bucket for bucket…until the 6:00 mark.
At that point Marion built off a pair of three point shots from Grant Kremer and Dylan Dirksen, shot ahead by 12-10, then continued an 8-0 run that closed the first quarter with an 18-10 Marion lead. Marion would never trail again in the game
Versailles’ Drake Ahrens gets to the rim for two of his 16 points in Friday’s contest with Marion Local.
Albeit, Versailles proved that they were capable of meeting a physical challenge, and they had to because the officiating trio let ’em play and there was more than enough knocking and banging to keep the packed gym interested. Travis Swank’s Tigers scored the first six points of the second quarter, but fell back again when Marion closed the first half by outscored Versailles 11-5 over the final four minutes to lead at the break, 34-25.
It’s true that Versailles would make a couple of determined runs in the second half, certifying Drake Ahrens 16 points, Ethan Wilker’s 12, and Jace Watren’s 10. But those point came hard as Goettemoeller’s defense not only shut down the perimeter (Versailles shot 4 of 11 from three-point range), but made it just as tough to get to the rim for high-percentage shots. Expecting Versailles’ quickness, Marion had a man between a Versailles with the ball every time they touched it.
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“We got guys behind us that we trust on defense,” said guard Braylen Mescher. “Tonight we pressured their guards and had plenty of help defense behind us.”
He never broke a smile. Defense is a serious matter at Marion Local.
Marion’s Austin Niekamp rejects the shot attempt of Cam Ahrens during the second half of Friday’s game with Versailles.
Still, Drake Ahrens, Watren and Wilker combined to score 11 points in the third, while holding Marion to just 5, and close the margin at one point to a scant two points. They trailed 40-36 by the end of the third quarter, in prime position to make a winning running over the final eight minutes.
Brayden Mescher would later claim that “this game proved that we could play four quarters of basketball”, and to that end Marion immediately came out in the fourth and protect their four-point advantage, out-scoring Versailles 16-15 on the strength of 6’8″ Austin Niekamp’s 6 for 6 shooting from the foul line; and as a team 12 of 14 from the line.
Versailles was pesky, however, as Drake Ahrens, Blake Monnin, and Jace Watren each dropped three-pointers to again close the margin to two points…but they never got closer than two as Marion concluded the verdict from the free throw line…56-51.
If Marion’s physical defense was tantamount to their win, give credit as well to the balanced scoring of Brayden Mescher and Austin Niekamp, each with 17 points. Ryan Homan would add 8, Grant Kremer 7, and Dylan Dirksen (3) and Kale Ahrens (4) would combine for their final seven points. The Flyers shot 43% from the floor, and hit a total of 14 of 19 from the foul line.
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Versailles shot 39% from the floor, led by Ahrens, Wilker, and Watren, with points from Blake Monnin (9) and 2 each from Jack Borchers and Cam Ahrens. Oddly, Versailles only got to the foul line 6 times, and hit 3 of them.
“Tonight was important because it proved that we could play four quarters of basketball,” added Mescher. “And it helps that we’ve got a bunch of shooters that they have to guard, and Austin’s a great player [inside] and that makes gaps we can drive.”
Versailles’ Ethan Wilker eyes the bucket through the defensive effort of Marion’s Austin Niekamp.
It was nowhere near the performance or the exhibition of basketball that Swank’s Tigers had put up last Saturday night in Tipp City. And yet, the glass was half full as he spoke, post-game, about things to take away from a learning opportunity.
“Their size and physicality really hurt us when we tried to finish at the rim,” said Swank. “That’s the first time we’ve really seen that kind of size and physical play this year. It made us have to make adjustments and it took us a half to make them…but I’m proud of our kids and how they played. I mean, we really fought there in the second half and got it down to two…and thought things were gonna’ roll our way. But again, they’re a good team for a reason. They make plays at the end of the game that help them win…and we didn’t.”
“I like to believe that they and we are two of the top five teams in the MAC,” Swank finished, speaking confidently. “And you wouldn’t expect anything else from a Versailles-Marion Local game.”
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