Marmion learns, holds off Leyden

Thirty-two minutes of a season is never proof of much, but it this case it at least suggests that you ought to stay through the final seconds of Marmion boys basketball games.

That's how it proved in Monday's season opener, where Marmion led nearly wire to wire and held a 10-point lead with 1:25 to play -- yet still had to sweat a 58-54 victory.

"I knew if we stuck to the game plan, we could pull it out," Marmion junior Bryce Emory said. "We had to trust each other. We probably have to work on those last-second free throws."

The win was the first for first-year Marmion coach Rashon Burno.

"It was an early test and it tested the kids mentally," Burno said. "I prefer to win by 2 than win by 20 at this point. It was a good test to see how we can handle game-time pressure."

Despite some jitters, including 6 missed free throws in the fourth quarter, the Cadets (1-0) still found a way to keep Leyden (0-1) from tying the game down the stretch.

"Overall, we did what we had in order to get the win and I'm pretty happy with the win," Burno said.

Marmion made a strong victory bid with two minutes to play. First Daron Guyton missed a layup and Bryce Emory rebounded for Marmion. The Cadets moved quickly to the other end of the court and Sean Fichtel hit a medium-range shot to put the hosts ahead 54-46.

Leyden threw away the ball on its next possession and Manny Juarez scored for Marmion and the lead was 10.

But Leyden rallied again with an 8-point run to cut the gap to 2 points with 21 seconds left. James O'Shaunessy hit 2 free throws in the closing 15 seconds to finally seal the victory.

Marmion led 30-18 at halftime, and much of that was due to Bryce Emory's strong play. The junior scored 16 of his game-high 22 points in the opening half.

"I have to give it up to my teammates," Emory said. "They found me when I was open. That first shot I made got me going. It pumped me up and gave me some confidence."

Marmion used a 12-point run in the first quarter to take a lead it never relinquished.

"I think the kids responded well for the first half," Burno said. "But then I think they got too comfortable. (Leyden) came to this tournament to win games and they put on a push. I told the kids they would."

Daron Guyton hit five 3-pointers, including four in the final quarter to help key the Eagles comeback. His 15 points led the Eagles' attack.