(Cuero) – Marion has a ticket punched to the regional quarterfinal round of the 3A boys basketball playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons after eliminating previously undefeated Vanderbilt-Industrial 57-43 in the area round on Friday at Cuero High School.
The loss was the first of the season for the Cobras, who entered the game with a perfect 20-0 record.
Ryken Autry scored 11 of his game-high 26 points in the first quarter and burried three threes to help the Bulldogs build a 17-10 lead by the end of the period.
Autry poured in 10 more points in the second quarter to reach 21 by halftime, and Marion doubled up the Cobras 20-10 to take a 37-20 cushion into the intermission.
The Bulldogs led by as many as 21 in the third quarter, but Industrial had the deficit down to 13 by the end of the frame and cut it to 11 earlyin the fourth.
The Cobras’ best player, senior guard Mason Roe, fouled out shortly after, and Marion capitalized on his absence. The Bulldogs pushed the lead back out to 21 and coasted to the 14-point win.
Roe had 14 points when he left the game, but Marion head coach Jon Allen says the Bulldogs made him take tough shots and denied scoring opportunities for his teammates.
“We were going to do something different defensively, then I thought he likes to pass the ball so much that we’re just going to play him straight up, and I thought that helped us,” Allen said. “We were able to keep our regular defensive rotations, and I think that made all the difference. Him fouling out obviously didn’t help them at the end – you never want to see that happen – but, you know, that’s the game.”
In addition to Autry’s 26, Marion’s Fernando Romero and Kadeem Blyden reached double figures with 13 and 12 points, respectfully. Blyden went 5-7 from the floor, dished out three assists, and recorded two blocks.
Romero made all four of his field goal attempts, three of which came on driving shots in the paint, and was aggressive enough to earn eight free throw attempts.
“He’s very capable,” Allen said. “I wish he’d do it more often. We definitely encourage it. He’s very capable, and we know he can do it, and we’ve got to have guys step up. We’ve always got to have somebody different, and I’m glad it was him tonight.”
Dominic Castellanos, Richard Rayos, and Lane Pawelek added two points apiece.
Marion (28-7) advances to face district rival Stockdale (25-9) in the 3A Region IV quarterfinals on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Goldie Harris Gym in Seguin.
The Bulldogs and Brahmas tied for second place in the 26-3A standings with identical 11-3 district records during the regular season. They split their head-to-head meetings, with Stockdale winning at home 48-42 on Dec. 21, and the Bulldogs returning the favor in Marion 53-49 on Jan. 25.
Stockdale advanced through the first two playoff rounds with a 61-40 bi-district win over Comfort and a 50-47 squeaker over Poth in the area game last week. The Brahmas’ best player is senior forward Jeremey Irwin with averages of 16.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Junior guard Parker Martinez (16.4 ppg, 3.4 apg) and junior forward Jake Gann (13.0) have also enjoyed outstanding seasons.
Tuesday’s regional quarterfinal matchup between Marion and Stockdale will air live on KWED 1580-AM and Seguintoday.com. Pre-game coverage from Goldie Harris Gym starts at 6:45 p.m.