Lady Cats roll past Mt. Vernon for third straight win

MARION -- Jasa Bell poured in 21 points as the Marion High School girls basketball team rolled to a 50-31 win over Mt. Vernon on Thursday night at Cuss Wilson Gymnasium.
Abby Bayer added 18 points for Marion, which is now 6-2 overall with a three-game win streak and is 1-1 in the South Seven Conference.
Bell had eight of her points with inside buckets in the first quarter as Marion led by as many as nine points but went into the second period with a 14-10 lead.
Mt. Vernon took the lead briefly at 16-14 after 3-pointers by Brooklyn Kelley and Annibelle Harrison, but Bayer scored four straight to put Marion back in front to stay.
McKenzie Orange and Lauryn Kadela also scored as part of a 10-0 run by the Lady Wildcats, but the lead was 24-19 at the half after Harrison drilled another trey.
Marion erupted in the second half with a 16-1 opening run -- adding to a 26-4 run counting what happened in the second quarter -- with Bayer and Bell accounting for all the points until Maddie Goodley hit a pair of capping free throws to put Marion up 40-20.
Daishen Wolaver and Jackie Drury joined Orange, Goodley and Kadela on a list of five players that had two points. Jordan Turner hit a free throw for the other point not scored by Bell or Bayer.
Marion hosts Gallatin County on Monday night in a rematch of an overtime game at the Lady Cat Tip-Off Classic, then travels to Murphysboro next Thursday.