Marion girls use big run to beat Du Quoin

MARION -- It's rare when nobody in a varsity basketball game reaches double figures but the Marion High School girls basketball team instead used balance to post a 49-22 win over Du Quoin in a non-conference matchup Saturday afternoon at Cuss Wilson Gymnasium.
Marion is now 4-9, while Du Quoin fell to 5-6.
Du Quoin jumped out to an 11-2 lead after Chloe Hill hit a pair of 3-pointers, Delaynie Dearmond put in a basket and Bailey Harsy drilled a triple.
Marion answered with a 22-2 run.
Margaux Bruce, Jordan Turner, McKenzie Orange, Quinisha Emanuel and Lauryn Kadela all scored to give Marion the lead at 12-11 with 5:34 left in the half.
Two free throws by Du Quoin's Katie Smith stopped Marion's run at 13 straight. But the Lady Indians didn't score again until after Jackie Drury's dropstep post move gave Marion a 24-13 lead at the 6:16 mark of the third quarter.
Maegen Dillon added a pair of baskets, Bruce converted a three-point play and Daishen Wolaver turned a steal into a layup to push the Lady Wildcats' lead to 39-16 going into the final period.
Marion outscored Du Quoin 33-5 over the middle two quarters.
Orange finished with nine points to lead all scorers. Dillon and Bruce both had eight and both Kadela and Drury netted six. Jordan Turner and Emanuel both had four. Chipping in two each were Wolaver and Grace Connor.
Hill led Du Quoin with six points. Maddie Robison and Dearmond both had four. Smith and Harsy both had three. Ayanna Dunklin and Lauren Heape both had one point.
Marion was coming off a 31-22 home loss to Murphysboro -- a team which Du Quoin has beat this season -- in which Turner was the leading scorer with six points. Wolaver, Bruce and Orange all had four points. Just one player in the game reached double figures and that was Murphysboro's Ashley Jarrett with 10 points.
Du Quoin was coming off a 54-46 loss to Anna-Jonesboro on Thursday that dropped the Lady Indians to 1-3 in SIRR Mississippi Division games.
Hill led Du Quoin with 17 points, including five 3-pointers, four of which came in the first quarter. Dunklin was next with nine, while Dearmond and Heape both had six.
Both teams have games on Tuesday night. Marion faces the top-ranked team in Class 2A, Harrisburg, while Du Quoin plays at Christopher.