Marion snaps skid with rout of Carterville at Mid-Winter Classic

WEST FRANKFORT -- The combination of a full lineup and a struggling opponent led to a 30-point win for the Marion High School boys basketball team Wednesday night at Max Morris Gymnasium.
Marion had lost all four of its games since the calendar turned but took out its frustrations on Carterville with a 54-24 beatdown at the West Frankfort Mid-Winter Classic.
The Wildcats are now 12-6 overall and 1-1 in pool play at the tournament with Friday's game against Herrin left before moving to a crossover game Saturday night.
After missing starters in the last three games, the Wildcats had their full contingent Wednesday and it showed defensively with a trapping pressure and also with a massive rebounding margin.
Marion jumped out to an 8-0 lead with baskets from David Fletcher, Jaden Lacy, Jackson Connor and Justin Saddoris, then went into the second quarter with a 12-4 lead and six different players marked in the scorebook as Terrell Henderson and Korey Houston supplied the other points.
The lead reached a dozen at 22-10 on a three-point play by Connor with 2:32 left in the half and Carterville's Justin Johnson, the team's main scoring threat, picked up his third foul on the play.
Carterville didn't have a field goal in the third quarter as Marion pushed the lead to 33-18. Lacy and Connor both had a pair of field goals in the frame, with one of Connor's coming on a breakaway dunk from an assist by Houston.
Cole Schafer joined the scoring list and Fletcher hit a 3-pointer before Connor put down another slam to give Marion a 42-22 lead with 4:06 remaining. Connor converted another three-point play and Mitchell Jackson scored five points off the bench as Marion closed the game on a 19-2 run.
Connor led all scorers with 19 points. Fletcher and Henderson both finished with seven, while Lacy and Saddoris both had six.
Dylan Moore led Carterville with eight points. Johnson had six and Austin Garbe had five.
Marion's game against Herrin is the last in Friday's session at around 8:30 p.m.