MFL MarMac racks up more UIC victories
Wesley Corlett rises above a West Central defender for a shot in MFL MarMac’s 68-24 victory. (Photos by Audrey Posten)
Landyn Miene was 8-11 from the field, for 16 points, in the win over the Blue Devils.
Eli Hanson defends a Blue Devils player in MFL MarMac's Feb. 4 win.
By Audrey Posten | Times-Register
The MFL MarMac boys basketball team continued its success against Upper Iowa Conference opponents last week, with wins over West Central and Kee.
The Bulldogs built a 46-22 lead over the Blue Devils through the opening half of their Feb. 4 match-up in Monona. West Central scored only two more points the rest of the game—both in the fourth quarter—in what was a dominant 68-24 victory for MFL MarMac.
West Central turned the ball over 27 times, with 13 coming on Bulldog steals, and had a 26 versus 37 rebounding disadvantage to MFL MarMac, including just eight second chance scoring opportunities. The Bulldog offense capitalized, shooting 39.2 percent from the field and knocking down six three-pointers.
Parker Kuehl’s 21 points led MFL MarMac. The senior also had three rebounds and two assists. Landyn Miene was 8-11 from the field, for 16 points, and added seven rebounds, three assists and a steal. Carter Lightfoot contributed nine points and topped the assist column with six. He grabbed three steals and a rebound. Brock Hackett finished the night with eight points, four steals, three assists and a pair of rebounds.
The Feb. 7 game at Kee was much closer. After the Hawks jumped out to a 23-15 first quarter advantage, the Bulldogs stormed back to claim a 41-38 edge by halftime. The teams remained neck-and-neck through the third quarter, but MFL MarMac created more separation in the final period, winning 72-64.
Although Kee got to the free throw line 25 times—hitting 21 of them—that couldn’t make up for MFL MarMac’s shooting advantage. The Bulldogs hit 49.1 percent of their shots, including 10 from long range, compared to the Hawks’ 36.5 percent.
Lightfoot had the hot hand in this one, draining three of four three-point attempts for nine of his 21 points. He made nine of 12 shot attempts overall. A team-high 11 assists gave Lightfoot a double-double, and he also tallied seven rebounds and three assists.
Hackett knocked down three of his own shots from behind the arc, and finished the game with 16 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Miene was good for 14 points, six rebounds, two assists and a block, while Kuehl totaled eight points, three rebounds and two steals.
The wins improved MFL MarMac to 17-3 overall and 14-1 in conference play. The Bulldogs’ only UIC loss was to undefeated North Fayette Valley, who they saw again Feb. 11 for the regular season finale. Crestwood was also on the schedule Feb. 10.
