CHESTERFIELD – Brody Owen knew the Marquette boys basketball team was primed to win a district championship, but he had one additional request when the school year began.
“I begged Coach (Derek Hoffman) to let us be a district host so we could get it done on our home court,” Owen said.
Playing in front of a Mustangs’ student section deemed the ‘Red Sea,’ Owen parted the Lafayette defense for 29 points and delivered Marquette a 58-43 victory over the Lancers to win the Class 6 District 2 championship Saturday at Marquette High.
Marquette (20-9), which won its first district title since 2021, advanced to a Class 6 quarterfinal to face Cardinal Ritter (20-9) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Francis Howell North.
Trailing 22-19 at halftime, Marquette increased the pace of the game and their fortunes. Owen scored on a silky drive in transition, hit a smooth baseline fadeaway, and then found a streaking Parker Hoffman on a fast break to pull the Mustangs into the lead.
“Our coaches emphasized to push the ball, to get out on the fast break and we didn’t do that in the first half,” Owen said. “The second half, we started off strong, got to (the fast break) right away, and took over.”
Owen, who scored most of his points around the basket or in the midrange through the first two and a half quarters, found a rhythm from behind the arc late in the third. After draining a long, two-pointer with a defender draped on him, Owen sank consecutive threes, including a buzzer-beating bomb from 28-feet away to stake Marquette to a 37-33 lead.
“I didn’t want to let us down. I just tried to take over and do what I do,” said Owen, who also pulled down 10 rebounds and added three assists.
The hostile takeover continued in the fourth, with help from his teammates. Senior Alex Komorech scored off a set play to begin the quarter, and junior Ayden Lemons drained a right wing three to push the lead to double digits. Komorech’s chase-down block during a Lafayette breakaway gave Marquette a sea of momentum.
“We know they’re a tough team. It’s always a four-quarter battle with them,” Komorech said of Lafayette. “Coming out in the fourth quarter, we just wanted to bring that energy. We knew if we made some big plays, we’d be able to pull it off.”
Midway through the fourth quarter, a Marquette student dressed as Moses used a hockey stick as a staff, parted the red-shirted student section and sprinted up the bleachers.
And then Owen led the Mustangs home.
His baseline pull-up gave Marquette a 10-point cushion, and then, after a play broke down, Owen picked up a loose ball, drove the lane and converted a ridiculous reverse layup with 2:32 remaining.
“When Brody is playing like that, it feels like nobody can stop us,” Komorech said.
In the first half, it seemed like Lafayette discovered the formula to stop Owen and the Mustangs.
After Marquette jumped out to an 11-4 lead, Lancers’ senior Timothy Washington made it difficult for Owen to receive the ball, perimeter defenders challenged every Mustangs’ drive, and Lafayette successfully slowed the pace of the game.
A pair of threes by senior Brady Micek and another by senior Nolan Savoie completed an 18-4 run for the Lancers and gave Lafayette a 22-15 lead late in the second quarter.
“They do a really good job being physical on your drives, and we lost our patience a little bit. We were taking off-balance shots and begging for whistles and that’s not going to work,” Marquette coach Derek Hoffman said.
A late three by Owen, his first of the game, gave Marquette momentum going into halftime and became a harbinger for an explosive 19-point second half for the Mustangs’ senior.
“The second half, we really tried to get out in transition and Brody went crazy,” Hoffman said. “Sometimes, you just have to ride that wave, and that’s what we did.”
Lafayette (17-10) made an improbable run to the final four last season, which included a district championship victory over Marquette. The Lancers seemed primed for another magical postseason after sophomore Coleman Watson hit a buzzer-beating three to defeat No. 1 seed Rolla in the district semis, but ultimately, a 21-10 fourth quarter advantage by Marquette ended the Lancers’ eight-game winning streak and their season.
Marquette (20-9) will try to reach its first final four since 2012 by defeating final four staple Cardinal Ritter, which has played in a state semifinal five of the past six seasons and won four state titles (2021, 2022, 2024, 2025) in that span.
But for now, the Mustangs will cherish the strands of net they cut down after winning a hard-earned district title.
“I’ve never made it this far,” Komorech said. “It means a lot to come out and finally get it done, especially on our home court.”
Owen added, “It’s awesome. This feels amazing.”
For a photo gallery from this game, click this link: https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Boys-Basketball-Photos/Boys-Basketball-2025-26/Lafayette-vs-Marquette-C6D2-championship
