Iowa signee Tony Perkins caught an alley opp dunk for Lawrence North's first points. Unfortunately for Marion, Perkins and LN didn't slow down much the rest of the way. The Wildcats cruised to an 83-63 victory.

Perkins was ultra-aggressive throughout the game. He scored the first six points of the game before DJ Hughes threw down two dunks and Dorean Hatton added a triple. It was 13-0 before Marion knew what was happening. The Wildcats extended the lead to 21-4 by the end of the first quarter.

For a large portion of the game, junior guard Jalen Blackmon played the role of distributor. He only attempted two shots in the first quarter. That's too few of attempts for a player that has averaged 25 points per game in his first two high school seasons.

Early in the second quarter, it looked like things could get really ugly. Sophomore CJ Gunn had a gliding dunk then Perkins ripped a steal and finished it with a windmill. At that point, LN led 27-4. From there, RaSheed Jones and Blackmon picked up the scoring for Marion. Despite the efforts of Jones and Blackmon, Lawrence North led 43-24 at the break.

Jones was a bright spot for Marion. The lanky sophomore connected on 7-10 three-pointers. He finished with 23 points.

Rival sophomore CJ Gunn scored on three straight possessions for LN. The long and athletic guard helped the Wildcats push their lead to 25 points. Gunn finished with 12 points.

Jones hit a couple of his threes late in the quarter to pull Marion within 17 points. The Giants weren't able to cut the deficit any smaller than that despite Blackmon scoring 11 points in the fourth.

Lawrence North only missed 24 shots, and they grabbed 13 offensive rebounds. Junior Shamar Avance went 7-8 from the field for his 18 points. Hughes was slowed by foul trouble but still tallied 10 points and nine rebounds.Senior Dorean Hatton added 10 points and six rebounds.

Jalen Blackmon finished with 26 points, five rebounds, and four assists.

Perkins capped a great night with 20 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists.