3A State Championship: Marion 73, Evansville Bosse 68
Evansville Bosse and Marion each had difficult paths in order to make the 2016 3A Indiana high school basketball championship game. Marion had a quicker turnaround after its game against Griffith was postponed until Wednesday.
Marion went through top teams Griffith, NorthWood, Columbia City, Tipton and Hamilton Heights. Evansville Bosse had to beat Pike Central, Silver Creek and Tri-West to get to the title game. Both teams earned their way to the title game.
Bosse was able to get the easier shots early in the game. It paid off in a major way as they jumped out to the lead. Bosse was led by junior wing Jaidon Hunter's outside shooting. He was well beyond the old -NBA line that is marked on the court on a couple of his attempts.
On the other end, Marion couldn't get anything to drop. As the Giants struggled to get the ball through the hoop, the frustration level increased. Marion only scored eight points in the opening quarter. The Giants were down 10 points.
Marion regrouped immediately in the second. The team as a whole played with much more energy. After a rough first quarter, Reggie Jones got on the board early in the second. He led the comeback which saw Marion pull within 24-23 of Bosse.
Foul trouble hit Marion in a major way at the end of the half. First, it was Jones picking up his third foul with just under three minutes left in the half. Then junior guard Tim Leavell was called for his third with 1:08 left in the half. Bosse took advantage of the foul trouble by going on an 11-0 run.
Marion came right back in the third quarter. It was role player Juswon White leading the way. He scored seven points in the quarter. Reggie Jones turned things around as well. Those two sparked Marion to a 31-point period. The Giants outscored Bosse 31-15 in the quarter.
The fourth quarter was a back and forth affair. Each team was trading blows. Mekhi Lairy was doing most of the damage for Bosse. He scored 12 of his game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter. Lairy was fantastic in the second half for Bosse.
The game came down to a few key possessions. Marion was able to get to the free throw line three possessions in a row late in the game. Marion did a good job of handling Bosse's pressure as they were looking for steals instead of just fouling. Marion converted all six shots while holding Bosse scoreless on the other end. That was the difference in a close game.
Marion won 73-68 with Reggie Jones leading the way with 25 points. Juswon White added 17 and Tim Leavell had 14. Mekhi Lairy had a game-high 28 points in the loss.
Marion won its eighth state title which ties Muncie Central for the most.
Evansville Bosse – Erik Bell 7 points (3/8 Fgs), 5 reb, 8 ast; Mekhi Lairy 28 points (8/20 Fgs, 4/9 3Ps, 8/8 Fts), 3 ast; Jaidon Hunter 8 points (3/6 Fgs, 2/5 3Ps); Ethan Thomas 6 points, 7 reb; Jaylin Chinn 4 points, 3 ast; Javi Langley 15 points (7/10 Fgs), 8 reb
Marion – Tim Leavell 14 points (4/6 Fgs, 2/4 3Ps, 4/4 Fts), 5 reb; Reggie Jones 25 points (7/18 Fgs, 10/10 Fts), 8 reb, 4 ast; Vijay Blackmon 12 points (3/10 Fgs), 6 re, 3 ast; Jordan Smith 5 points, 8 reb, 3 ast, 3 blk, 2 stl; Juswon White 17 points (6/7 Fgs, 4/4 Fts), 2 blk