Marmion's defense stifles Driscoll

Marmion outscored Driscoll 13-2 in the third quarter and opened with a 39-22 lead - there didn't seem to be any way the Cadets would allow the Highlanders back into the game.

But the near-unthinkable almost happened on Friday in Aurora. Driscoll recovered from its nightmare quarter and played a little Fright Night on the Cadets before eventually falling 46-35 in the Suburban Catholic Conference opener for both teams.

"We started to really tighten up a little bit," Marmion coach Rashon Burno said. "It's a learning experience. But overall, the kids played well for 32 minutes and that's what counts."

Marmion's third quarter burst took a 26-20 lead and turned it into a near-unassailable 17-point lead. Marmion (2-3, 1-0) excelled in all areas of the game - forcing 5 turnovers while only turning over the basketball once and staying close in rebounding against a taller Driscoll squad, then scoring on a sequence of close shots.

"That was all predicated on defense," Burno said. "That's what we worked on. But the kids are still young and we have young kids in key positions."

The problem, Burno said, was "that when you're up 17, you don't take your foot off their throat. You keep pressuring."

Just as Marmion played well in all facets of the game, Driscoll (2-2, 0-1) struggled to put anything together.

"We came out and shot very poorly," Driscoll coach Adam Szyszko said. "Shot selection and execution were lacking for the first three quarters of the game. And for the first three quarters of the game, we lacked defensive intensity."

But as the fourth quarter opened, the game began to turn. Marmion did not make a field goal in the fourth quarter and didn't make its first free throws until 4:04 remained in the game. Those were the only points in a 13-2 run that brought the Highlanders to within 41-35.

"Our guys showed a lot of heart tonight in that fourth quarter," Szyszko said. "In the first three quarters, we kind of sleepwalked through it. But the fourth quarter, we showed that we've got some character."

Those free throws were scored by Sean Fichtel, who made all 4 free throws he attempted in the game and finished with 9 points.

"That's senior leadership," Burno said. "That's what having a senior who's pretty good with the ball can give you. At any point and time in the fourth quarter, you want your best player with the ball. And then hopefully your best player will step up and do what he's supposed to do. That's Sean Fichtel in a nutshell."

Mark Peters was consistent offensively throughout the game, but a force in the third quarter, when he hit all 3 shots he made. Peters finished with a game-high 14 points. Matt Kaban had 12 points and 7 rebounds to lead Driscoll.