Boys Basketball: Marmion falls short in title game

Marmion gave Moline all it could handle on Wednesday night in the title game of DeKalb’s Chuck Dayton Holiday Tournament, but the Maroons’ trapping defense wreaked havoc as the Cadets fell 50-48 in a fast-paced, back-and-forth contest.

Up 42-34 to begin the fourth quarter, Marmion quickly saw its lead evaporate.

Moline (13-1) went on a 10-0 run highlighted by an Anthony Lindauer steal and a layup for a 44-42 lead with 5:59 to go.

Marmion eventually got even on a pair of free throws from Jeff Garofalo, but the Maroons took the lead for good when Connor Welvaert capped off a two-minute possession with an easy look inside for a 46-44 Moline lead with 2:10 to go.

Marmion turned the ball over on two of its next four possessions, and Moline’s Drew Owens hit four clutch free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

The Cadets’ A.J. Bohr hit a three-pointer at the buzzer for the final score.

“I was proud of the way our guys fought,” said Marmion coach Ryan Paradise.

“In the start of the third and start of the fourth we did a poor job of taking care of the ball, but I can’t fault our guys’ effort and heart.

“They have a couple real good scorers and I thought we adjusted well as the game went on and executed better on defense, but those turnovers come back to bite you and they did for us down the stretch.”

Garofalo led Marmion with a team-high 17 points. Alex Theisen netted 11 points and Bohr added nine points for the Cadets, who shot 17-of-38 (45 percent) from the field.

Marmion (8-6) was without starter Pete Stefanski due to a sprained ankle suffered during Tuesday night’s win over Rochelle.

Stefanski and Theisen were named to the all-tournament team.

Early on it looked like Marmion might run away with the title.

After taking a 19-8 lead into the second quarter, the Cadets found themselves up 25-10 after a three-pointer from Theisen with 6:00 left in the half.

However, Moline turned up the dial on defense and closed the half on a 19-2 run.

“We just didn’t make the reads,” Paradise said. “They didn’t have more size or more length than we’ve seen as far as trapping.

“We were making reads and they weren’t decisive basketball plays. We were hesitant.”

Lindauer led the Maroons with a game-high 18 points.

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