TOWN AND COUNTRY – The scouting report is fairly straightforward when facing the Marquette boys basketball team.
Brody Owen shoots the lights out from the perimeter. Alex Komorech averages a double-double in the post. Contain those two and success should follow.
Ayden Lemons shredded that scouting report, along with the netting in Westminster Arena.
Lemons scored a career-high 13 points and powered a key, third quarter run as Marquette defeated Westminster 70-53 Wednesday to capture the championship of the 55th Peoples Bank & Trust Boys Basketball Tournament.
Marquette (4-1), which won its fourth consecutive game, became the first team to score 70 points against Westminster since the Wildcats lost 71-66 to Borgia on Feb. 6, 2018.
“It shows a lot,” Owen said. “We lost our first game of the year (to Lindbergh). We came back, worked hard, and we’ve been playing with great teamwork.”
That team play was exemplified by Lemons, who calmly handled ferocious Westminster perimeter pressure to find driving lanes, make tough shots and distribute assists.
“I just stayed positive and trusted my teammates,” said the junior Lemons, a three-year varsity player whose only other double-digit outing was a 10-point effort against Holt earlier this season.
Lemons made a zesty, turnaround jumper late in the first half to help Marquette take a 37-34 lead into the locker room. Early in the third quarter, he converted a transition layup, then banked home a silky runner to give the Mustangs a double-digit lead. Lemons aided the cause with seven rebounds, four assists and a blocked shot.
“Everybody knows who Brody and Alex are, but when we get quality contributions from the supporting cast, it just makes us that much better,” Marquette coach Derek Hoffman said.
Brody and Alex were still doing their thing as well.
Owen scored a game-high 23 points, including a left-wing three ball accompanied by a foul that fired up Owen, his teammates and the Mustangs’ student section and gave Marquette a 52-41 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
He also played outstanding man-to-man defense on Westminster junior Will Powers, who entered the game averaging 23.3 points per game. Primarily guarded by Owen, Powers went just 1-for-11 in the second half and scored 10 points below his season average.
“He’s a great player. We train together every day, so it’s a fun rivalry,” said Owen, a Washburn University commit.
Komorech made his presence felt all over the court. He drained a baby hook off the glass to earn an old-fashioned, three-point play to start the second half. He battled on the offensive glass, converted buckets in traffic and helped alleviate pressure on the perimeter. At one point, while reacting to being poked in the eye with one hand, he delivered a perfect, backdoor pass to Owen with the other.
Komorech finished with 21 points, five rebounds, four assists and a charge drawn. His 6-for-7 effort from the free throw line helped the Mustangs seal the victory.
“I just try to do everything on the court – play defense, dribble, shoot – whatever I can do to make my team better,” Komorech said.
A fast-paced first half saw both teams fill up the net. Mid-court steals and breakaway layups by Powers and junior Andrew Walker allowed the Wildcats to keep pace with the hot shooting Mustangs, and Westminster led 18-16 after one quarter.
Westminster (3-1), which earned a third-place state finish in Class 5 last season, used the craftiness of senior Tobi Akinyede to build a second quarter lead. Brilliant ball fakes and step-throughs allowed Akinyede to arrive at the front of the rim with little opposition from the sizable Mustangs’ frontline defenders.
Akinyede scored 11 points, and the Wildcats maintained a 32-29 lead late in the half.
But the Mustangs supporting cast continued to assert themselves. Two interior baskets by 6-foot-8 junior Parker Hoffman, including a last-second putback, gave Marquette a three point advantage at the half.
“We went into halftime with 10 turnovers. “I told them, ‘If we can keep (our turnovers) under eight in the second half, we’ll have a chance to win,’” Derek Hoffman said. “Zero turnovers means you’re not aggressive enough. We wanted to stay aggressive and play a full court game while taking care of the basketball and getting a quality shot each time.”
They only had five.
And the quality shots came from a variety of sources – the dynamic Owen and Komorech, a confident Lemons, and junior Kyle Runyon, who came off the bench to knock down a three-point dagger to push the lead to 55-41 early in the fourth quarter.
“We have guys that have the ability to go get a basket, so even though we did turn it over a couple of times, they stayed aggressive, and the ball happened to go through the hoop,” Hoffman said.
Marquette finished the game with a plus-14 rebounding advantage, recorded assists on 17 of their 28 made baskets and shot 50 percent from the field – a winning combination of hustle, team play and shot-making.
For Owen, the sting of a district championship loss to Lafayette last season is still felt and has fueled the Mustangs to have intense focus and drive as a new season begins.
“We took that loss personally. We’re working hard every day, so we can get back to that district championship and change the outcome,” Owen said. “I feel like this game is a testament to how hard we’ve been working.”
For a photo gallery from this game, click the link below: