(Devine) – A 12-point lead at the end of the third quarter and a five-point cushion with under two minutes left were not enough for the Marion boys basketball team to hold off Jourdanton in the 3A regional quarterfinals on Saturday, as the Indians rallied for a 54-53 win to end the Bulldogs’ season.
Jourdanton’s Clyde Schuchart burried a corner three with just over eight seconds left to put the Indians in front for good.
Marion led 17-13 at the end of the first quarter, 30-18 at halftime, and 44-32 going into the fourth period. Jourdanton outscored the Bulldogs 22-9 in the final eight minutes.
Junior guard Ryken Autry led all scorers with 30 points, his seventh game with at least that many this season. Autry scored 31, 28, and 30 in three playoff games. He shot 8-16 overall against Jourdanton, 6-10 from three-point range, and 8-10 at the free throw line.
Senior guard Easton Allen produced 14 points, a team-high eight rebounds, and three assists in his final varsity game for Marion. Allen will continue his basketball career at Texas Lutheran University next season.
Jourdanton kept the rest of the Bulldogs in check. Dominic Castellanos scored three points, while Jon Padron, Fernando Romera, and Samuel Montoya each netted two.
Jarel Lilly, a TLU football commit at wide receiver, led Jourdanton with 22 points. Lily helped the Indians avenge a 24-point December loss to Marion in non-district play.
After a third-place finish in District 26-3A and a three-round playoff run to the regional quarterfinals, Marion’s final season record is 21-5.