North Marion tops West Port

The best boys’ basketball team in the county will be determined in the three-day Marion Athletic Conference Tournament, which started Jan. 14 at North Marion High School.

North Marion, the No. 2 seed, had no problem in dispatching No. 7 seed West Port by a score of 69-29. The Colts were paced by forward Lamont Sweeting Jr., who scored a game-high 15 points, while junior point guard Jerdarrius Jackson added 12 points.

West Port, which was led by Garrett Wilson’s 14 points, dropped to 1-15 on the season. With the win, Class 4A North Marion improved to 13-4 overall.

“We definitely wanted to set the tone early,” said Colts veteran coach Tim Yarn. “We didn’t want to overlook these guys (West Port) because one loss in the tournament and you’re going home. I asked the guys to be focused, come out with some intensity and passion, and they did that.”

North Marion utilized the inside presence of Sweeting to dominate the paint in the first quarter as the 6-foot, 4-inch power forward scored seven points and junior guard Tekelvin Jackson had four points. West Port’s Wilson scored eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, to keep the Wolf Pack close. North Marion senior De’Marion Bentley drained a 3-pointer to give the Colts an 18-8 lead heading to the second period.

West Port went cold from the floor and North Marion capitalized as Jerdarrius Jackson splashed a trey from behind the arc as part of a five-point quarter, senior guard Coy Sizemore added four points and Bentley had four to give the Colts a commanding 42-14 lead at the half.

Wilson tried to keep West Port withing striking distance by scoring six points in the third period, but North Marion pulled away as Sweeting scored four points, Sizemore had four and Jerdarrius Jackson added five to help the Colts extend their lead over the Class 7A Wolf Pack to 58-22 heading to the final eight minutes.

“Playing inside out, that’s what we have to be about,” Yarn said. “We want to be balanced on offense with everybody contributing. The guys are playing good and looking for each other, which is what we want.”

Alex Griffin scored five of his nine points in the final quarter for West Port, while Bentley scored four points and Tekelvin Jackson added three for North Marion. Because of the large lead, a running clock was used for the duration of the period.

The finals of the Marion Athletic Conference Tournament will be held Jan. 17.

North Marion has already beaten Forest and Vanguard during the season. Playing well in the county tournament is something the Colts are looking for.

“We want to compete each and every night,” Yarn said. “This gets us ready for district play and it gives the community a chance to come out and support their schools. We want everybody to come out, have a good time and enjoy some good basketball.”