The Marionville Comets led by eight going into the fourth quarter in the match-up with Purdy on March 5, but that lead dwindled and the Comets were forced to battle for the chance to move on to the championship game in the Class 2 District 10 Tournament.
Marionville opened with strong defense and denied Purdy open looks at the basket, while the Comets found success on offense. Drew Setzer started with two free throws, followed by a layup from Jordan Dykes and a jumpshot from Setzer.
Marionville's first half success came from in the paint, while Setzer went up strong for basket after basket. Justin Hansen got on the board with a free throw and a three-pointer. Marionville led 10-8 at the end of the first quarter.
Purdy tied the score at 10 with two free throws, but the Comets easily put up seven points before Purdy scored again in the second quarter. Ryan Combs and Hansen put Marionville up 17-10.
Brandon McKinney stepped up for the Comets in the second quarter with multiple rebounds and putbacks. His four points put Marionville up by 10 with the score set at 24-14. At the end of the first half, Marionville led 24-17.
The third quarter belonged to Marionville with Dykes and Setzer put up two-point shots early in the quarter. Marionville forced several turnovers, allowing Caleb Wells and Hansen to increase Marionville's lead to 34-22.
With Setzer and McKinney rounding out the quarter, Marionville maintained an eight-point lead at the end of the third quarter, but Purdy slowly was coming back into the game.
Purdy was able to close Marionville's lead to 43-41 after the Eagles were sent to the free-throw line several times and found open shots. The two teams exchanged the lead for most of the fourth quarter until about one minute left in the game.
With the score tied at 50, Marionville forced a steal and Hansen scored on a down-low shot. Purdy was forced to foul to stop the clock, sending Setzer to the free-throw line. Setzer made both free throws to give the Comets a four-point advantage with 25 seconds left in the game. Combs finished the game with a successful free-throw to give Marionville the 55-50 win.
Marionville faces Miller in the district championship game at 7 p.m., March 6, at Sarcoxie. The winner of the game will go on to sectionals to face the winner of the District 9 Tournament at 7:45 p.m., March 10, at Republic.
