Grant Kremer knocks down Marion Local’s fifth 3-pointer of the third quarter that pushed the lead to 17 against outgunned Versailles on the final Friday night at The Hanger. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Jeff Gilbert)
Everyone got in the act for the Flyers with a group effort of 10 3-pointers for a victory in their final MAC game at the old Hangar.
Maria Stein, OH – Marion Local doesn’t celebrate 3-pointers with three fingers in the air or other revelries kids see on TV.
Get back on defense. There’s no time or energy to waste.
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But when Grant Kremer made the Flyers’ fifth 3-pointer of the third quarter, well, a little hype was OK. He slapped hands with a teammate and every Flyer was smiling.
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A close game with Versailles had erupted into a 17-point lead. The Hangar, in its penultimate game, was flying high and the Flyers were about to land a 60-40 Midwest Athletic Conference victory.
The Flyers are 21-1 and No. 1 in the state in the MaxPreps Division VI rankings because of defense, transition offense and inside scoring. But they’ve reinforced their arsenal. Within the past week, they have dropped 11 3-pointers on Minster, nine on Russia and 10 on Versailles.
The scouting report for the teams aiming to knock off the Flyers deep into the tournament has become more complex. Defenses always had to challenge Kremer and Luke Everman at the arc. But they could lay off Brayden Mescher, Brennen Hess and Kale Ahrens and protect the paint.
No more.
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While the Flyers’ recent 3-point exhibition hasn’t turned them into the 3-point shooting machine that is MAC champion Delphos St. John’s or guarantees future double-digit nights from downtown, it makes them more difficult to guard.
“When you see one to go down, it’s definitely more confidence after that,” said Mescher, who scored a game-high 19 points.
Marion Local stepped up its defense in the second quarter with plays like Brennen Hess’s blocked shot against Kade Schwartz.
The 3-pointers were timely. Kremer made the first one after Versailles jumped to 7-2 lead. The Tigers extended that lead to 16-6 with two minutes left in the first quarter.
“We threw a lot at them defensively, just trying to keep them off balance as best we could,” Versailles coach Travis Swank said.
While Marion Local coach Kurt Goettemoeller was waiting for the offense to figure out Versailles, he was unhappy with his defense. Versailles point guard Drake Ahrens, the best assist man in the MAC, had too much space to score and assist others.
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“We weren’t playing with a sense of urgency on defense, like we were at about a seven and we needed to get to a nine or 10,” Goettemoeller said. “They’re hard to guard. They’re good. They’re really good. They’re 15 and five for a reason, and they’ve got an excellent point guard and some other guys that can really score it.”
Both things changed starting in the second quarter.
“Coach told us he could tell we just weren’t ready to go from the start,” Mescher said. “And props to them, they’re a good team. They’re well led. Coach started yelling at us, got on us, and we came back after that, ready to go.”
Luke Everman started the Flyers’ third-quarter 3-point barrage that turned a two-point lead into a 14-point lead.
The Flyers got back to their physical nature and made defensive stops consistently for three quarters while holding Ahrens to eight points and a handful of assists. And Hess canned two of his three 3-pointers in the first three minutes to lead a 10-0 run that tied the score at 16. The score remained tight the rest of the half, but Mescher hit the momentum shot to end it. His 3-pointer with a second left put the Flyers up 26-24.
“That’s a big three,” he said. “I stepped into it confident, and Kale was getting doubled, gave me a good pass in the shooting pocket.”
The pattern of a good pass to an open shooter changed the game for good in the third. Marion led 30-28 when The Hanger became a shooting gallery.
On four three straight possessions, Everman, Mescher, and Ahrens swished 3-pointers. Swank called timeout. Since his team led 16-6, the Flyers had outscored the Tigers 33-12. Then on the fourth straight possession, Kremer made a 3-pointer for a 42-28 lead with 2:31 left in the third.
Kremer’s 3-pointer in the final minute – they one they allowed themselves to celebrate – came on a Marion type of possession that usually results in a layup, in transition off a Versailles turnover. Instead of attacking the basket, Kremer pulled up on the left wing and let it fly.
Splash. And a 49-32 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Drake Ahrens spots an open teammate out of the corner of his eye when Versailles had it going on offense in the first quarter.
The totals: Kremer and Hess each hit the trifecta on 3-pointers. Hess scored 11 points and Kremer nine. Mescher made two 3-pointers and scored 10 of his 19 in the second quarter. Ahrens made one three and scored 12 points. Everman made one three and scored seven.
“We were picking our poison in a way, as far as we’re going to try to make those guys beat us from the outside,” Swank said of Mescher, Ahrens and Hess. “And they did. So you tip your hat to those kids for being able to hit some big shots for them when they really needed to.”
This is the final season for The Hangar. The Flyers will play in a new gym next season that is under construction. It meant a lot for the Flyers to win their final MAC game in a place they love to play.
“Every single game is awesome here,” Mescher said. “Our fans are awesome. And just the fans being so close to the court is awesome. It’s just great to win our last MAC game here.”
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The Flyers, who clinched second place in the MAC at 8-1, have one more game at The Hangar against Van Buren (19-2) next Thursday. The Flyers are ready for tournament play, which begins March 4 against the winner of New Bremen and Parkway, but as a senior Mescher is glad for one more home game.
“Tournament time is fun, but I don’t want this stuff to be over,” he said. “This stuff’s awesome.”
Versailles (15-6, 6-3 MAC) will venture into the Division V tournament as a No. 3 seed and face No. 14 Greenon on Thursday at Northmont. A possible district final looms against top-seeded Williamsburg on March 7 at Xenia.
“We felt like we competed 16 minutes, and if we can compete 16 minutes like we did here tonight in the first half and change that into 32 minutes, we’re gonna be a pretty good team come tournament time,” Swank said. “Marion is probably a good prep for any good tournament team that we’re going to see, and we’ll be ready the next time we see some physicality like that.”
So will every tournament team that encounters the Flyers. And maybe, if the current trend continues, those opponents will encounter 3-pointers from the whole lineup.