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Wildcats come close but fall short in super-sectional

  • Marion seniors Cole Schafer and Terrell Henderson react as time runs out Tuesday night at the Springfield Super-Sectional.

    Marion seniors Cole Schafer and Terrell Henderson react as time runs out Tuesday night at the Springfield Super-Sectional.
    Justin Walker Photo

  • The arrival.

    The arrival.
    Justin Walker Photo


  • Justin Walker Photo


  • Justin Walker Photo

  • Jaden Lacy

    Jaden Lacy
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Justin Saddoris and David Fletcher

    Justin Saddoris and David Fletcher
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Justin Saddoris and Cole Schafer

    Justin Saddoris and Cole Schafer
    Justin Walker Photo

  • The Marion Maniacs

    The Marion Maniacs
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Marion cheerleaders

    Marion cheerleaders
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Sophia Spence

    Sophia Spence
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Gus Gillespie

    Gus Gillespie
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Justin Saddoris

    Justin Saddoris
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Justin Saddoris is called for a charging foul.

    Justin Saddoris is called for a charging foul.
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Jackson Connor

    Jackson Connor
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Jaden Lacy

    Jaden Lacy
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Terrell Henderson

    Terrell Henderson
    Justin Walker Photo

  • David Fletcher draws an offensive foul.

    David Fletcher draws an offensive foul.
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Gus Gillespie

    Gus Gillespie
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Jackson Connor

    Jackson Connor
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Justin Saddoris

    Justin Saddoris
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Cole Schafer

    Cole Schafer
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Darrell Wimberly, Gus Gillespie, Scott McKenty and Blake Hampleman

    Darrell Wimberly, Gus Gillespie, Scott McKenty and Blake Hampleman
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Gus Gillespie

    Gus Gillespie
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Marion cheerleaders

    Marion cheerleaders
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Jaden Lacy

    Jaden Lacy
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Jaden Lacy

    Jaden Lacy
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Boston Ziegler

    Boston Ziegler
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Terrell Henderson

    Terrell Henderson
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Jaden Lacy

    Jaden Lacy
    Justin Walker Photo

  • David Fletcher and Jaden Lacy

    David Fletcher and Jaden Lacy
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Justin Saddoris

    Justin Saddoris
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Justin Saddoris

    Justin Saddoris
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Terrell Henderson

    Terrell Henderson
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Kobe Medley

    Kobe Medley
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Gus Gillespie

    Gus Gillespie
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Justin Saddoris

    Justin Saddoris
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Justin Saddoris

    Justin Saddoris
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Terrell Henderson

    Terrell Henderson
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Jackson Connor

    Jackson Connor
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Jaden Lacy

    Jaden Lacy
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Justin Saddoris

    Justin Saddoris
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Justin Saddoris

    Justin Saddoris
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Cole Schafer

    Cole Schafer
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Gus Gillespie, Justin Saddoris and Jackson Connor

    Gus Gillespie, Justin Saddoris and Jackson Connor
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Jaden Lacy

    Jaden Lacy
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Justin Saddoris

    Justin Saddoris
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Justin Johnson

    Justin Johnson
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Justin Saddoris

    Justin Saddoris
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Jaden Lacy

    Jaden Lacy
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Abbie Kent and Sophia Spence

    Abbie Kent and Sophia Spence
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Justin Saddoris

    Justin Saddoris
    Justin Walker Photo

  • Springfield Southeast Spartans

    Springfield Southeast Spartans
    Justin Walker Photo

 
updated: 3/14/2018 4:38 AM

SPRINGFIELD -- If nothing else, the Marion Wildcats proved they belonged among the state's elite Class 3A basketball teams Tuesday night despite suffering a gut-wrenching 56-51 loss to Springfield Southeast in the Springfield Super-Sectional at the Bank of Springfield Center.
Marion never led in the game but hung tough all night with the Spartans, who improved to 28-3 and were seeking their first-ever appearance at the state tournament in school history.
The Wildcats, who were playing in a super-sectional for the first time since 1990 but went a step further by reaching the Elite Eight under the new IHSA four-class system, finished with a 22-12 record under first-year coach Gus Gillespie.
A large contingent of Marion faithful made the three-hour trek to the state's capital, including four buses that left from the high school, and although they may have blended with the Southeast crowd due to both teams donning identical colors, they made their presence felt in what was the Spartans' fifth game of the season on the BOS floor.
"It's unbelievable the fans that showed," Gillespie said. "This is a tough drive from Marion on a Tuesday night. What a student body, the Maniacs, so proud of them, and just our fans."
Gillespie repeatedly expressed regret after the loss for the Wildcats' defensive strategy at the start of the game, which led to Southeast senior sharpshooter Kobe Medley hitting three 3-pointers in the first quarter. The second of those triples gave the Spartans a 13-4 lead -- they never led by more than that the rest of the night -- and forced Marion's second timeout of the period.
Medley's third bomb gave Southeast a 16-8 lead going into the second quarter. Medley, a 5-foot-11 guard who finished with a game-high 19 points, and Robert Hayes are the Spartans' only seniors.
"I should've gotten out of that defense earlier," Gillespie said. "We let (Medley) spot us for nine points. We played a great second quarter and if we had started in that defense it could've been different."
Marion senior Cole Schafer, who was the hero of the Wildcats' overtime win over East St. Louis to win the Centralia Sectional title, hit a 3-pointer to start the second period and fellow senior David Fletcher popped in two free throws to pull Marion within three.
Southeast's Deon Mathews also dropped a 3-point shot and Marion answered with a basket from senior Terrell Henderson and got the ball back when Fletcher took a charge from Anthony Fairlee at the other end.
But the Wildcats had several missed chances before the half. Marion had 10 turnovers in the first half and both Schafer and Henderson missed a pair of free throws. Still, the Wildcats went into the half trailing just 21-18 thanks to a basket from senior leader Justin Saddoris.
"It wasn't one of our better performances," Gillespie said, "but maybe give Southeast credit for the way they do things defensively."
Henderson scored six straight points for Marion in the third quarter, including two free throws that tied the game at 24 with 5:40 left in the period. Medley followed with his fourth 3-pointer and both teams had chances to score before what Gillespie felt was the biggest play of the game.
With the Spartans clinging to their 27-24 lead, Henderson made a strong move to the basket and made a close shot but a whistle stopped play. The call was an offensive foul against Henderson, negating the basket rather than being a possible three-point play.
"The charge call on Henderson was huge," Gillespie said. "It changed the game. That would've tied it up and it goes the other way. That's a big momentum play. I thought momentum was on our side there. Obviously I didn't like the call."
To make matters worse, Hayes scored on Southeast's end and Stepheon Sims scored after Marion's 14th turnover to make it 31-24. And then another charging foul was called against the Wildcats, this time against Saddoris, but Marion stayed tough and cut into the deficit on a slicing layup by Jaden Lacy.
Marion got baskets from Jackson Connor and Saddoris before the end of the period and went into the fourth trailing just 34-30. The margin was down to three early in the fourth after a 3-pointer by Fletcher, but the Spartans took advantage of two more turnovers to push it back to seven.
A layup by Fairlee allowed Southeast to match its biggest lead of the game at 44-35 and it was a nine-point margin again at 49-40 with 2:44 remaining after Fairflee hit two free throws.
But the Wildcats, as they proved over and over in the postseason, weren't done yet.
Marion had begun intentionally fouling to put the Spartans at the foul line midway through the fourth -- literally in the case of Connor drawing an intentional foul with 3:49 left -- and the strategy eventually allowed the Wildcats to pull as close as 53-51 with 47 seconds left.
In between, Saddoris and Lacy attacked the basket relentlessly for layups rather than settling for 3-point attempts. And the margin dwindled with the Spartans' poorer shooters, statistically speaking, going to the line.
After cutting it to two, however, Saddoris was whistled for his fifth foul while not trying to intentionally foul, and to make things worse, Medley, obviously a strong shooter, was the one sent to the line.
Medley drilled both free throws and Marion turned the ball over. Medley was fouled again and split two chances, then after Connor missed a layup attempt, the Wildcats were unable to draw another foul call before time ran out.
"We were attacking and we were just one big shot away in that last few minutes of making this really crazy again," Gillespie said. "Down the stretch our kids showed tremendous character. We needed a few more free throws to go our way."
Medley was Southeast's only player to reach double figures. Terrion Murdix and Fairlee both added nine poitns, while Michael Tyler and Sims both had six.
Saddoris led Marion with 13 points. Henderson and Lacy both had 10, with Schafer and Connor both chipping in six. Fletcher had five and Boston Ziegler, like in the sectional championship, had one point. Henderson had 15 rebounds and Connor had nine. Fletcher was marked for four assists.
At the charity stripe, the Wildcats were just 6 of 16. But the Spartans were just 14 of 28 in their attempts.
"We just ran out of time," Gillespie said. "It took us time to make some adjustments to their speed and how they guard. But once we settled down -- and we didn't play one of our better games -- but even with that said we had our chances down the stretch."
Southeast now becomes the only non-Chicago team in the state semifinals, joining Chicago Heights Marian, North Chicago and Chicago Morgan Park in the Final Four of Class 3A. Metamora came close but was defeated by Marian in overtime.
The Wildcats came really close, too.
"No one gave us any credit coming up here," Gillespie said. "All we heard was about Southeast. I felt like our kids had a great chance. I hurt us with our defense starting out the game but I'm proud of them. We fought and we're disappointed but we'll reflect back on this in a couple days and feel better about things."

 
 
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