The Marion Giants will take on the Kokomo Wildkats in a holiday battle at at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Marion knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past five matchups -- so hopefully Kokomo likes a good challenge.
Marion is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They took their game on Saturday with ease, bagging a 79-34 win over Wabash. Given the Giants' advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 90th, while the Apaches are ranked 276th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
| 12/14/24 vs Wabash | 22 |
| 12/13/24 @ Richmond | 27 |
| 12/07/24 vs Hamilton Southeastern | 16 |
| 11/30/24 @ New Castle | 20 |
| 11/27/24 @ Mississinewa | 31 |
Marion got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Tim Jones out in front who went 8 for 16 on his way to 22 points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals. The contest was Jones' fifth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Amar Rogers, who went 7 of 11 en route to 21 points and three steals.
Marion smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've posted since back in January.
Meanwhile, Kokomo put another one in the bag on Saturday to keep their perfect season alive. They walked away with a 67-57 win over Lebanon. The 67-point effort marked the Wildkats' lowest-scoring match of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Kokomo's win came from a few key players Marion will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Korbyn Hammel, who went 6 of 12 on his way to 17 points along with six assists and six boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Zion Bellamy, who posted 16 points and four steals.
Kokomo's victory was their 14th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-0. As for Marion, their win bumped their record up to 4-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Marion has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 28 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Kokomo struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Marion came up short against Kokomo in their previous matchup back in March, falling 65-52. Can Marion avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
