As usual, the dynamic duo of seniors Dusty Albaugh and Kasey Semler  came through Friday night and carried the Marion boys to a 57-35 home court win over Dyersville Beckman.

“The Red Nation really had something to cheer about tonight,”  Albaugh, the talkative one of the two, said about the Indian student section that whooped it up long after the game was over.

Marion (13-7, 13-5 Wamac) wrapped the Wamac West Division title.

“We played with a lot of intensity and played really good defense," Albaugh said. "And Kasey, he’s something else. He’s able to drive and open up the lanes, then kicks it out for open shots.”

Albaugh received three of Semler’s no-look passes for long 3-pointers and four others for shorter baskets as he tied his longtime running mate for game-high honors with 19  points.

After being held to two buckets and two free throws in the  first half, Semler scored 13 in the second, including seven straight from the charity stripe.

It was his pinpoint passing, though, that sparkled  throughout. He had 10 assists to go along with his 19 points, but could have had a half dozen more if he hadn’t faked out his own  teammates with bullets that bounced out of bounds.

“I like to keep everybody involved,” said Semler, who is as quiet off the court as he flashy on it.

He seems satisfied to let his boyhood buddy speak for both of them.

“Kasey and I have played together since sixth grade, when we were on the same AAU team as Marcus Paige and Wes Washpun,” Albaugh said. “We make a pretty good combination.

“We know what each other’s doing on the court.  And we pick each other up.”

The pair was about the only offense the Indians could muster up against Beckman (12-9, 10-8), but it was all they needed with the team defense they played.

“We knew it would be a physical game,” said Marion Coach Mike Manderscheid.

“We didn’t have a great first quarter. But we buckled down defensively, put a lot of pressure on and got our transition game going. And we’re pretty good in transition.”

The opening stanza was a sluggish affair, with mostly missed shots by both teams.

But the  Indians woke up from their funk in the second quarter and outscored the Blazers,  21-8, to take a nine-point lead at half.

It was more of the same in the third quarter as they extended their lead to 16.

The coup de grace came when Semler hit a driving runner at the buzzer.

Out of steam by that  time, having been outrebounded and outhustled, Beckman was outscored in the fourth quarter, 11-5.

“We just got beat in every phase of the game,” said Blazer Coach Dan Correy. “We missed a couple of easy shots early, put our heads down and pretty much let them do what they wanted the rest of the way.

“They were more aggressive and more physical than we were. We just  didn’t have the gumption to play with 'em.”

BECKMAN (35): Willenbring 0 1-3 1, Manternach 2 2-3 7,  Anstoetter 3 2-2 8, Steger 1 2-2 4, Gudenkauf 4 1-2 10, Lehmann 1 0-0 2, Brehn 0 0-0 0, Ross 0 0-0 0,  Thein 1 1-2 3, Salter 0 0-0 0, Meade 0 0-0 0, Lehmann 0 0-0 0, Foens 0 0-0 0, Manternach 0 0-0 0, Manternach 0 0-3 0.  Totals: 12 9-17 35. 

MARION (57):  Albaugh 7 2-4 19, Fisher 1 1-4  3, Semler 5 9-9 19, Van Gorp 1 1-2 3, Hardman 3 2-2 8,  Cronk 2 1-2 5, Cannoy 0 0-0 0, Kinney 0 0-0 0, Frazier 0  0-0 0, Huhndorf 0 0-0 0, Hedtke 0 0-2 0,  McDonald 0 0-0  0, Wagner 0 0-0 0, Stone 0 0-0 0. Totals: 19 16-25 57.
 
Halftime – Marion 32, Beckman 21. 3-point goals - Beckman 2 (Manternach 1, Gudenkauf 1), Marion 3 (Albaugh 3). Total fouls – Beckman 25,  Marion 19.