Game Report: Oak Hill 72 Marion 65

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A good, old-fashioned "big school versus small school" rivalry took place at historic Bill Green Athletic Arena on Thursday night. Separated by less than 10 miles these two programs have somewhat flipped historic roles this season. Marion, with eight state championship banners hanging from the raters, is one of the "blue bloods" of Indiana High School Basketball. However, they entered Thursday night's contest just 5-12 on the season. Meanwhile, Oak Hill was ranked #2 in the Prep Hoops Indiana Class 2A Poll sporting a 17-1 record. Bill Green Athletic Arena was as full as it has been in a couple of years for this contest and Prep Hoops Indiana had boots on the ground coverage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From the opening tip you could tell that the athleticism and length of the Marion Giants had Oak Hill on their heels a little bit. It was harder for them to initiate offense, they missed some layups, were rushed on three-point attempts, and failed to corral some rebounds. However, the Golden Eagles' skill level shined through as they settled in to the game. [player_tooltip player_id='2956681' first='Will' last='Tonagel'] was able to get downhill to the rim a few times in the opening quarter and his brother [player_tooltip player_id='2266894' first='Jace' last='Tonagel'] got loose from beyond the arc once. Luke Elzinger found some success inside as well. Oak Hill led 19-13 after one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Three-point shooting kept Marion hanging around going into the halftime break. [player_tooltip player_id='1989433' first='Tim' last='Jones Jr.'] connected on a pair of three-point shots in the second quarter and Chris'Shawn Guerrero hit one as well. The Giants actually took the lead following an 8-0 run to start the quarter capped off by a layup from LA Anderson, but Oak Hill answered in a hurry. [player_tooltip player_id='2266894' first='Jace' last='Tonagel'] got hot from deep hitting three more three-point shots in the quarter to eventually give the Golden Eagles a 37-29 halftime lead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Marion made a run in the third quarter as well. [player_tooltip player_id='2409737' first='Damaureon' last='Red'] was a big part of a scoring spirt and then Jace Freshwater connected on three free throws after being fouled on a three-point shot which tied the game at 43-43. However, once again, Oak Hill answered. The Golden Eagles would eventually get their lead back up to 52-45 heading into the final quarter of play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oak Hill turned the ball over late against Marion's press a few times which cut into what had grown to be a double-digit advantage and ended up walking away with a 72-65 win. The Tonagel brothers helped to put the game on ice at the free throw line connecting on 7-8 in the fourth quarter. Oak Hill improved to 18-1 on the season with the victory over the rival Giants of Marion.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2266894' first='Jace' last='Tonagel'] finished with 25 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists to lead all scorers. Freshman guard [player_tooltip player_id='2956681' first='Will' last='Tonagel'] added 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists, and 4 steals. The Tonagel's, along with senior guard RJ Shugart, create a very talented backcourt that will be tough to beat in the Class 2A state tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Unsigned senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1989433' first='Tim' last='Jones Jr.'] led Marion with 22 points and 5 rebounds in the loss. Chris'Shawn Guerrero added 10 points and 6'6" junior forward LA Anderson had 8 points and 8 rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->