Valley View boys stick to game plan

5A-EAST BOYS VALLEY VIEW 42, MARION 36 CHUCK LIVINGSTON

JONESBORO — Valley View executed a stout defensive game plan to limit Marion to just two fourth-quarter field goals to rally for a 42-36 victory on Friday night at Blazer Arena.

Valley View (13-8, 4-2 5A-East) stymied the attack from Marion (12-3, 5-1) by allowing the Patriots to make just 14 of 44 field goals including a 3-of-19 showing from three-point range.

“Our guys battled and executed the game plan all night against a really, really good team,” Valley View Coach Lane Campbell said. “I told our guys this week if we played our absolute hardest then we’d give ourselves a chance and that’s what happened. I’m so proud of them.”

Valley View got a gamehigh 16 points with six rebounds, while Oliver Barr and Josh Burnett had 10 points apiece.

Lyndell Buckingham and Kayden Nesbitt scored eight points apiece for Marion, while David Brewer and LaDaryl Robinson added seven each.

Marion took an early 7-3 lead as Mikell Lewis canned a three-pointer, Jalen White and Robinson each split a pair of free throws, and Nesbitt scored on a layup. But the Blazers got within 7-5 when Rogers hit a layup with less than four seconds left in the first quarter.

Valley View fashioned a 13-8 lead late in the second quarter when Barr made a free throw, but the Pats got within 13-12 at halftime when Nesbitt hit a layup and Buckingham hit twofree throws in the last minute of the half.

Marion got its offense on track in the third quarter against Valley View’s zone defense, making 9 of 15 field goals. The last two baskets came when Buckingham hit a short jumper, came up with a steal and found Brewer for a three-pointer that beat the buzzer to give the Patriots a 32-29 lead after three quarters.

Brewer hit a runner on Marion’s first possession of the fourth quarter for a 34-29 lead, but the Patriots would not score again for more than six minutes.

Valley View took advantage of the Marion drought by ripping off a 9-0 run that began when Burnet hit a pair of free throws, Rogers scored in the paint and hit a three-pointer, and Gavin Ellis capped the run with a layup for a 38-34 bulge with 54.2 seconds remaining.

A Brewer runner with 35.9 seconds left snapped the Marion cold spell, but the Blazers got an Ellis reverse layup and two Burnett free throws to cap the scoring.

“I believe in our guys wholeheartedly,” Campbell said. “I don’t care if we’re down three or 33, I believe they’re gonna get it done, and they did it tonight.”