Basketball Recap: Marion Comes Up Short

Marion has been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They were a single point away from ending the streak, but they lost a 37-36 heartbreaker at the hands of the Randolph Ro-Hawks. The match marked the Bulldogs' lowest-scoring game so far this season.

Marion's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jaiden Riley, who posted six points and 14 rebounds. Riley has become a key player for Marion: the team is 14-2 when he posts at least eight boards, but 4-5 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Travis Randle, who went 5 for 12 en route to 12 points and five rebounds.

Marion's loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 18-7. As for Randolph, they pushed their record up to 19-3 with the victory, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season.

Marion will take on Great Hearts Northern Oaks at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Great Hearts Northern Oaks knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past six contests -- so hopefully Marion likes a good challenge. As for Randolph, they will square off against Cole at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Cole is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 56.3 points per game this season.