ĢƵ

close

MarionĢƵ late basket lifts Rockets over Avella

By Rob Burchianti 3 min read
1 / 6
Jefferson-MorganĢƵ Dayten Marion scores against Avella during a game on Jan. 23 at Jefferson-Morgan. Marion totaled a game-high 23 points with 14 rebounds and scored the winning basket in the Rockets’ 55-53 victory.
2 / 6
3 / 6
Jefferson-MorganĢƵ Jase Bedilion attempts a jump shot against Avella during a game on Jan. 23.
4 / 6
Jefferson-Morgan coach Brandon Lawless shouts instructions to his players during a game against Avella on Jan. 23.
5 / 6
Jefferson-Morgan's Houston Guesman attempts a jump shot against Avella on Jan. 23.
6 / 6
Jefferson-Morgan's Dayten Marion (13) puts up a shot as Avella's Westley Burchianti (3) defends during their game on Jan. 23. Marion had a game-high 23 points and 14 rebounds in the Rockets' 55-53 win. Burchianti totaled 10 points and also had 14 rebounds for the Eagles.

JEFFERSON – Dayten MarionĢƵ basket with 30 seconds remaining lifted host Jefferson-Morgan to a thrilling 55-53 win over Avella in boys basketball non-section game on Jan. 23.

Jefferson-Morgan trailed 30-23 at halftime and 49-44 midway through the fourth quarter after a 3-pointer by the Eagles’ Brayden Fuller but outscored Avella 11-4 the rest of the way.

“It was a fastbreak and Dayten ran the floor, our guards got it to our bigs like we emphasize,” J-M coach Brandon Lawless said of the winning shot. “HeĢƵ an athlete and around the rim with his height heĢƵ tough to stop.”

Bryce WrightĢƵ potential game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer rattled out for Avella which fell to 8-9 overall.

“It shouldn’t have come down to that really,” said Avella coach Mike Macik. “Losing our big guy (Cain Allen, who fell ill) at halftime didn’t help us. We didn’t rebound well and that was the biggest part of the game. ThatĢƵ what beat us.”

Marion led Jefferson-Morgan with a game-high 23 points along with 14 rebounds, including eight on the offensive glass. John Woodward Jr. added 11 points and eight boards. The Rockets also got 10 rebounds from Jace Bedilion.

Rylan Bell led the Eagles with a career-high 16 points and Wright added 14 points with three 3-pointers for the Eagles. Avella also got a double-double from Westley Burchianti who scored 10 points and tied for game-high honors with 14 rebounds although the Rockets won the overall battle on the glass, 38-34, with 17 offensive boards.

Lawless praised the effort of his team which also played Monday night, winning at Geibel Catholic.

“ItĢƵ generally a lot tougher playing on the second night when you’re going back-to-back and we’re not that deep, but they played with a lot of intensity tonight, especially in the second half,” said Lawless, who also commended the Rockets’ defense.

“Defense is our bread and butter because, to be truthful, we’re below average offensively. I tell these boys all the time if you play good defense you’re giving yourself a chance to win every night no matter what you do offensively.”

The Rockets followed up the win over the Eagles with a 66-58 Section 2-A victory at Mapletown last Friday.

J-M held a one-point lead at halftime and outscored the Maples in the second half, 38-31, to secure the win and keep its lock on third place in the section standings.

The Rockets’ Bedilion (19), Houston Guesman (17), and Marion (16) all scored in double figures.

Jeremiah Mick scored a game-high 20 points for Mapletown (1-5, 2-13). A.J. Vanata finished with 14 points.

Jefferson-Morgan (4-2, 12-6) entered the week trailing first-place Monessen and West Greene by one game while holding a one-game lead over fourth-place California.

The Rockets were slated to host Monessen Tuesday night and will host the Trojans Friday night in two important section clashes.

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $4.79/week.