Emily Kesel

Marionville began its district title defense on Tuesday with a decisive 63-19 win over the Miller Cardinals. With the win, the 23-3 Comets moved on to face Galena on Thursday.

The number one seed in Class 2, District 11, the Comets fell behind 2-0 after the first minute and fifteen seconds of play. But senior Brandon Horn scored on the next possession to tie the game for Marionville.

Less than a minute later, a steal by senior Cole Brown led to another Horn bucket to give the Comets a 4-2 lead. From there, it was all Marionville.

With a 17-5 lead after one quarter, the Comets started the scoring early in the second on a free throw from junior Ryan Mayberry. Midway through the second period, Marionville forced a Miller timeout after three straight treys by senior Levi Doyle made it a 35-8 game. The Comets racked up six three-pointers in the quarter: five by Doyle and one at the buzzer by Mayberry.

The Marionville defense was just as solid, allowing the Cardinals only three points in the quarter. With a 42-8 advantage, the Comets went to the locker room at halftime riding a comfortable lead.

Miller managed to get on the board first in the second half, converting a pair of free throws, but seconds later a steal and layup by Brown erased any chance of Miller making a run.

The Comets' defense again was stifling in the third quarter, allowing the Cardinals just five points. By the time Coach Ted Young pulled the last of his starters with about 30 seconds remaining in the period, Marionville led 59-13.

With a running clock to shorten play and the Comets' second string on the floor, the fourth quarter went quickly. Marionville would only score twice in the final period, as opposed to a six-point effort from Miller, but it would not matter in the long run. With the final buzzer, the defending champs moved on to the next round, while the eighth-seeded Cardinals were eliminated.

Doyle's big second quarter helped him to lead the Comets with 23 points on the night, followed by Mayberry's 10-point effort. Sophomore Josh Goodman scored nine in the winning effort, while Horn and senior Aaron Head added six each. Brown finished with four, sophomore Gavin Stanton had three and sophomore Laythen Utke added two.

Look for the results of Marionville's second game of the district tournament in next week's sports pages.

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Comets begin title defense with big win - Aurora Advertiser