MJHS boys beat Carbondale to finish regular season

MARION -- The Marion Junior High School boys basketball team finished the regular season with a 46-36 victory over Carbondale on Thursday night.
Isaiah McLorn scored 16 points and Rayzhaun Bardo had 14 for the Wildcats, who now take a 19-1 overall into the postseason after going 12-0 in the Big Seven Conference.
Marion's lead was just 27-25 with 3:27 left in the third quarter and the Cougars had a chance to take the lead but missed a 3-point try that would've put them ahead.
Deavon Margrum then missed a pair of free throws but went back to the line and sank two to start a Marion run.
Tariq Sanders and DaMareon Cooper both put in layups and McLorn hit a nice pullup jumper to give Marion a 38-27 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Carbondale got as close as four at 40-36 with 2:16 left in the game, but McLorn split free throws and Bardo put in a rebound layup to give the Wildcats some breathing room.
Cooper, who had seven points, iced it with a pair of free throws with 1:11 remaining.
Gabe Hillard led Carbondale with 14 points.
Marion won the JV game, 47-33, to finish the regular season at 18-2 and 12-0. Benja Stone led the Wildcats with 14 points.
The seventh-graders play in a tournament Saturday in Carbondale, while the SIJHSAA Class L Marion Regional will be next week.
MJHS plays West Frankfort in the semifinals on Tuesday, followed by Massac County against Harrisburg, with the winners meeting next Thursday.