#1 Marauders move on to regional

Link to archived webcast

Mt. Vernon used a fast offensive start to build an early lead and pull away from Arlington to win the boys basketball sectional title Monday at MV. The Marauders won 74-47 for the 12th sectional title in the basketball program's 50-year history.

C.J. Coleman had 28 points and Stephen Turner 21 to lead the Marauders. Dan Werner added 11 points.

The Marauders (22-1) will compete in Saturday's regional at Greencastle's McAnally Center. They will face Danville (18-5) in the 10 a.m. semifinal. No. 9 Frankfort (20-4) meets Edgewood (15-8) in the other semifinal. The championship game will be at 8 p.m. We will have the live webcasts of all Mt. Vernon games at HancockCountySports.com.

MV got things done from outside -- four different players hit at least one 3-pointers.

Thanks to a big start by Turner, who scored 12 first-quarter points, MV built an early double-digit lead at 25-13, and led 25-16 after a quarter. The lead was eight at halftime at 36-28, as Coleman hit a 3-pointer to start the quarter and then scored off a Turner steal to make it a 30-18 lead early in the second. Coleman, Werner and Anthony Burnett each hit 3-pointers in the second frame.

MV, as it has all season, came out of the locker room and dominated the third quarter. The Marauders dominated the penultimate eight minutes by outscoring the Knights 19-9 and building a 55-36 lead after three. Again, MV started with a 5-0 run to push things into double-figures as Coleman hit a shot and Turner drilled a 3-pointer.

Burnett added six points for the Marauders. Zach Spears had four and Miles Wayer three late points off the bench.

MV won its first sectional title since 2010, third of the class era and 12th overall in the 50-year history of the program. MV also won sectional titles in 1966, 1975, 1983, 1985-87, 1990-92 and 1999. It's the 24th sectional title in the lineage of the school, adding in six sectionals each won by MV predecessors Fortville and Mt. Comfort High Schools.

To get to the final, MV had to beat a solid Brebeuf team 51-39 last Tuesday, then beat defending 3A champion Guerin Catholic 37-30 on Friday.

Arlington finished the season 11-12.

Class 3A regional at Greencastle
Saturday, March 9
10 a.m.:  (1) Mt. Vernon (22-1) vs. Danville (18-5) (live webcast link)
11:30 a.m.: Edgewood (15-8) vs. (9) Frankfort (20-4)
8 p.m.: Championship

Class 3A sectional at Mt. Vernon
Tuesday, Feb. 26
Arlington 62, Howe 57, OT
Mt. Vernon 51, Brebeuf 39
Friday, March 1
Arlington 51, Chatard 50
Mt. Vernon 37, Guerin Catholic 30
Monday, March 4
Mt. Vernon 74, Arlington 47