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Tigers top Spire, pick up 19th win on senior night

By Kerry Patrick 6 min read

MARIETTA -- For many, a full lifetime had passed since the Marietta boys basketball team had won 19 games in one season.

The wait is over and now the Tigers want to continue their quest and chase after the school's all-time win mark.

Friday night at Sutton Gym, Marietta defeated Spire Academy, 68-45, as three seniors (Alex Kendall, Elyjah Lieras-Kelley and Izak Knighten) played their final regular-season home game.

The trio were honored prior to the start of the game then went to work on their guests from Geneva, Ohio, which were making their inaugural visit to Marietta High School.

Three players scored in double figures, including Kendall with a double-double of 22 points and 16 rebounds as the Tigers improved to 19-2 -- ending a 61-year drought last duplicated when Marietta ended the year with 19 wins during both the 1961-62 and 1962-63 seasons.

"Since tonight didn't count toward OHSAA seeding and neither does our game next Tuesday, it's like how do we get better and stay motivated at the same time," Marietta coach Austin Gardner said. "We still need to win games. I don't want us to get a sour taste of losing, and instead, more of an inspiration for winning games. Then hopefully, that momentum carries into the tournament."

Marietta only trailed Spire once, 7-6 late in the first quarter. The Tigers then owned a second quarter which opened with a bucket by Knighten followed by another two from Kendall to extend the gap to 23-12. Consecutive field goals from Zaiden Wittekind and Owen Riley in the final two minutes gave the Tigers a 30-17 advantage at halftime.

The Tigers created some breathing room midway into the third quarter as Kendall recorded a pair of putbacks and Wittekind hit his second three of the game to push the margin to 20 at 39-19.

The deficit hovered in that area until Spire made one last-ditch run midway in the fourth quarter. Vanya Suslov buried a 3-pointer then picked off a pass on Marietta's ensuing possession and made the uncontested layup to cut the difference to 12 at 50-38.

Suslov, who led Spire with 18 points, hit another three later in the period to keep things interesting at 58-43 with less than three minutes remaining.

Knighten essentially put a lock on the win with a pair of free throws then a two-handed slam dunk on the Tigers' next series. Moments later, Brayden Jones sank both ends of a free throw and Marietta was in a comfort zone at 64-43 with 1:43 showing on the clock. Jones gave his club a spark in the first quarter with five points to go with a steal and an assist.

Wittekind finished the game with 13 points, while Lieras-Kelley scored 11 points to go with three assists.

Raul Youseff made a pair of threes for Spire and finished with 11 points.

"It's sad to leave the court -- I've been on it for four years and the biggest thing is leaving a great group of guys, a lot of memories behind," said Kendall, who also finished with four blocks and three assists. "I'm glad I got to go out there (for senior night ceremonies), enjoy my moment with my family. My mom and dad -- they have always been very supportive. My grandparents have as well."

Marietta shooters dialed in at a rate of 54% (27-of-50) and 46.7% (7-of-15) from beyond the arc. Defensively, the Tigers were just as impressive while limiting Spire to 25% (13-of-52).

The game was scheduled nearly 11 months ago when an assistant coach at Spire Academy who knew coach Gardner learned of an open date in the Marietta schedule.

"This was a great experience for us," Spire coach JC Collins said. "We have been road warriors all season long going to different schools. Anybody willing to play us in Ohio, we are willing to travel.

Spire's next game takes the program to Hagerstown, Md., against Goretti High School.

"Our expenses are crazy, absolutely crazy. I hope our (athletic director) doesn't hear this, but it's so our kids have a great experience at this institution.

Both the Spire Academy and Tuesday's regular-season finale at Columbus Westland High School on Tuesday don't affect Marietta's postseason seeding. Brackets are scheduled to be determined on Sunday.

"We have work to do to get ready for Westland on Tuesday -- these games set us up for tournament play," Gardner said. "Our last five games have been against really, really good opponents and hopefully it is setting us up for a successful tournament."

Marietta will play its first sectional game on Feb. 20 against an opponent to be determined.

Kendall mentioned the team is in quest of Marietta history. On three occasions, a Tiger boys basketball team (1939-40, 1961-62, 1962-63) reached what stands as a school record 22 wins.

"It's definitely a reachable goal," Kendall said. "We're No. 1 in the southeast district right now and a district championship would be great. We haven't won one of those forever. It's been a very long time."

In his second season with the program, Gardner will dearly miss the three graduating seniors, even though there is still work to be done.

"Alex, my first day being here a couple of summers ago I see a tall guy who is very skilled," Gardner said. "I thought he could be really good and obviously he has worked really hard to get to this point.

"Izak is more bought-in than any kid we have in our program. I don't think he ever missed a summer workout, lifting session in two years. That shows his dedication and care not only for basketball but also for his teammates and coaches. He wants to win.

"Ely, unbelievable teammate. I saw on film beforehand that he is a good kid and a guy who kind of plays sometimes. He's turned into a competitor, a feisty kid that guards other team's best players. And this year, especially, taking on a scoring role and point guard, which is a lot for him. He's done a really good job the entire year."

Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com

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