3A Semi-State: Marion 60, Griffith 58

The semi-state game between Marion and Griffith was going to be a match-up of two of the best 3A teams in the state. The storyline made a dramatic jump when Griffith's bus was involved in a crash on Saturday that saw each player sent to the hospital. The game was in question. The two schools decided to play on Wednesday night.

Each Chicago news station covered the game on Wednesday. That should underline how much attention this game received. The Griffith student section arrived an hour before the game and kept the gym tension high well before the tip.

There were major questions about who would be available to play for Griffith. Many were not cleared until the last second. Each Griffith regular saw action on Wednesday night. Martin Schiele said that he went through pre-game warmups without knowing if he was going to be able to play or not. Tremell Murphy was cleared on Tuesday to play after he had to get stitches in his hand.

“Last week when we were upside down in that bus, if you would have told me that we were playing even today then you told me we were going to do this...sometimes you think you are a team of destiny,” said Griffith head coach Gary Hayes.

With the energy high, each team did a good job of playing under control early in the game. Griffith leaned on the two players that they have all season – Anthony and Tremell Murphy. Tremell broke the ice with a free throw for Griffith then Anthony buried a three-pointer. Those two plays took the nerves away from Griffith.

“What else can you say about the Murphys for how hard they play? I've been watching them for four years, and you rarely see kids that are that good, play as hard as them,” said Hayes. “They do all the blue-collar stuff.”

The first quarter was a back and forth affair. Griffith made the mistake of giving Tim Leavell space from beyond the three-point line. He hit his first two long-range shots of the game. Outside of Leavell, Marion struggled to find consistent scoring early in the game. Vijay Blackmon and Reggie Jones were 0-5 in the first quarter.

Reggie Jones got off the snide early in the second quarter. He hit his first three shots of the quarter for a total of seven points. Marion got a spark from senior forward Juswon White in the second period as well. He came off the bench to give Marion eight points and five rebounds.

Tremell Murphy was excellent throughout the game. Griffith relied on him heavily in the first half. By halftime, he had 10 points and seven rebounds.

Inside the game, there was plenty of adversity for Griffith. They faced slight foul trouble with a few of its players including Anthony Murphy. Many of the borderline calls in the third quarter went against them. As expected after this week, the calls did not rattle Griffith too much.

“I have been in this game 47 years,” said Gary Hayes. “I've never seen kids with heart like these guys together. They just build off each other.”

After a quiet first half, senior guard Vijay Blackmon stepped up for Marion in the second. He scored seven points in the third quarter to keep Marion in the game. Without his scoring, Griffith might have opened up a lead that the Giants couldn't overcome.

Griffith took a seven-point lead into the final quarter. The Panthers were able to increase the advantage to nine points. Marion started to come back behind the efforts of its seniors Reggie Jones and Vijay Blackmon. The duo scored 11 points in the fourth period.

Marion took the lead for the first time in the second half with 4:54 left in the game on a driving score by Reggie Jones.

Turnovers plagued both teams down the stretch. There was one sequence where there were three turnovers in about 10 seconds of play. It ended with Jones leaping in the air and calling timeout before he came down in the backcourt. Marion was awarded the timeout to save the Giants from another turnover.

Kelston Haden made a free-throw with under two minutes to play in the game. It tied the game. Unfortunately for Griffith, he missed the backend. Marion turned the ball back over to Griffith on a charge by Jones. Griffith was unable to score with the new possession, though.

Marion Tim Leavell took a three-pointer with 23 seconds left. He missed it, but Marion received the ball out of bounds after a held ball on the rebound. Griffith deflected the ball on the inbound pass. The Griffith players thought it hit a Marion player while the Marion player was standing out of bounds. The official ruled that it had not touched the Marion player.

Marion went to Reggie Jones with its final possession. He took a driving shot from about eight feet on the right side of the lane. It rimmed off. Junior center Gage Pinkerton was able to grab the miss and put it back with just over a second remaining. Griffith was not able to get a time out or a good look at a desperation shot.

Marion won 60-58 to advance to the 3A state championship game. It was the first basket of the game for Pinkerton. He finished with three points and three rebounds.

“I feel so bad for these kids for what they went through. It is amazing,” said Griffith head coach Gary Hayes.

It wasn't the Cinderella story that Griffith hoped for, but they showed great character in the loss. The same players were questioned about their character last year after the brawl with Hammond.

“I think the IHSAA needs to let these kids go from last year; I just think it should be done,” said Gary Hayes about the game sanctions from last year's fight. “When you watch the heart of these kids, I just think, the IHSAA needs to let Griffith go.”

(Hayes is referring to the IHSAA taking away the wins that Griffith had in the 2014-2015 season)

Marion – Reggie Jones 12 points (5-16 FG, 1-5 3FG, 1-2 FT), 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 turnovers; Vijay Blackmon 15 points (4-12 FG, 1-5 3FG, 6-8 FT), 5 rebounds, 4 steals, 5 turnovers; Tim Leavell 13 points (4-12 FG, 3-10 3FG, 2-2 FT), 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 6 turnovers; Jordan Smith 8 points, 6 rebounds; Gage Pinkerton 3 points, 3 rebounds; Juswon White 9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 turnovers.

Griffith – Kelston Haden 1 points; Martin Schiele 10 points, 2 rebounds, 3 steals, Al Ervin 11 points, 2 rebounds, 3 turnovers; Anthony Murphy 13 points (2-9 FG, 1-5 3FG, 7-9 FT), 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 turnovers; Tremell Murphy 20 points (8-13 FG, 3-8 FT), 9 rebounds, 1 turnover; Anthony Quintero 3 points.