Emory shoots Marmion past Montini
The Marmion basketball team is off to a great start in Suburban Catholic Conference action. The Cadets improved to 3-0 after a convincing 59-38 win over Montini Friday night in Aurora.
"That's what we play for," Marmion coach Rashon Burno said.
Montini (0-6, 0-3) only led in the opening minutes of the contest. Back-to-back 3-pointers from David Brouch unknotted the only tie of the game and pushed the Cadets ahead 10-4.
Marmion opened the second quarter on a 9-0 run led by four different players and ended up outscoring the Broncos 21-10.
"In the second quarter, we made some adjustments and guys finally started to get it going," Burno said.
"We didn't come out how we wanted to, so we knew we had to come out strong in the second quarter," Marmion senior Sean Fichtel added.
The Cadets led 31-17 at the break.
"(Marmion) had a good roll going in the second quarter," Montini coach Brian Opoka said. "If a couple shots fell down for us, we are right back in it. Things could change around pretty quickly."
Once the Cadets (4-3, 3-0) held a double-digit lead, they never let it slip away. Their largest lead of the game arrived with 2:18 remaining, when Tyler Clark hit a 3-pointer that gave Marmion the 59-33 lead.
All healthy players clocked in time on the court for the Cadets, who were led by Bryce Emory's 21 points, including a 6-for-6 performance at the free throw line.
"(Emory) can do multiple things," Burno said. "He's 6-foot-5, he can finish at the basket, he can shoot the ball (from outside) and he's a great free throw shooter."
"I have to give credit to my teammates," Emory added. "When I got open, they found me."
Emory and fellow starter Fichtel were the only two players to finish in double digits and 5 rebounds apiece. Fichtel finished with 14 points.
The Broncos had a pair of players off the bench, Kevin Dailey and David Kelly, lead them with 8 points apiece.
"The ball just wasn't falling for us," Opoka said. "They are working their tails off and tried everything they could to stay in the game defensively...we just couldn't put it in the basket. That's just the way it goes."