CLINTON - The clock operator at Clinton High School accidentally shortened Monday night's Class 3A substate final between Marion and Davenport Assumption by 17 seconds when the scoreboard malfunctioned in the first half.

The Marion Indians would have loved to have gotten them back, because every second counted with a trip to the state tournament hanging in the balance.

The Indians pushed the third-ranked Knights to the limit before falling, 51-47, in a well-played game on a neutral court.

Davenport Assumption (18-6) will face Dallas Center-Grimes in the first round of the state tournament next Tuesday in Des Moines.

Marion led 23-21 with 2:22 left in the first half when Assumption star Billy Daniel went to the foul line for two free throws. He made his first foul shot to make it 23-22, but at that point the scoreboard went dark and all the numbers disappeared.

It took a minute to restore power to the scoreboard, but when Daniel went back to the foul line the clock said there was only 2:05 left in the quarter. None of the game referees, coaches or bench officials noticed the discrepancy and those 17 seconds were lost forever.

The clock mishap did not cost Marion (12-12) the game, but those 17 seconds would have come in handy at the end of the contest when it was nip-and-tuck.

It was that kind of season for the Indians, who seemed to battle injuries, illness and suspensions from start to finish. They got hot in the playoffs and won two games, then fell a little short against the No.3 team in the state.

"We played well," said Quinn Cannoy, who more than tripled his scoring average with 18 points. "We just didn't execute in the second half a couple of times and they got a couple of easy buckets and they just pulled ahead there."

Cannoy had made only six 3-pointers all season and was averaging 5.4 points when the night began. He responded with the game of his life, nailing four triples and tying the taut affair at 35-35 and 38-38 early in the fourth quarter with treys.

"I got my confidence the last couple of games," he said. "I just had confidence in the postseason and my teammates got me the ball and I made some shots."

Isaac Frazier carried the load down the stretch for the Indians. He scored nine points in the final 4:11 of the ballgame and pulled Marion within 49-47 with 26.7 seconds left with a strong inside move and three-point play.

Marion pressed and nearly got a 10-second call against the Knights, but Assumption Coach Joe Barrer called a timeout just before his team would have surrendered the ball.

Marion could not get a steal after the timeout and fouled Evan Wadsager with 10.4 seconds left. Unfortunately for the Indians, Wadsager made both free throws for a 51-47 lead and the Indians ran out of time.

"I'm proud of my kids," said Marion Coach Mike Manderscheid. "I told them afterwards, I'm extremely proud to have coached them, not only the last two weeks but the entire year."

The Indians played without Tyler Gunderson, their leading scorer at 11.7 points who was suspended during the postseason. They also played without 6-foot-6 senior Andrew Davis, who appeared in only one game this year after breaking his leg during the football season.

The shorthanded Indians battled hard, but Daniel made the ultimate difference for Davenport Assumption. The raw-boned 6-foot-5 senior poured in 24 points and was a force on the backboards.

Frazier gave Daniel a good battle and scored 15 points himself, but the Knights had a taller front line at 6-5, 6-5 and 6-4 and their size was a big factor in the game, especially with some key offensive rebounds.

Frazier did all he could against Daniel.

"Try to keep the ball out of his hands. When it did go in there, we doubled it," he said. "We gave all we had. We just came up a little bit short."

Daniel was averaging 19.8 points and 7.9 rebounds when the night began. He has signed with Truman State, an NCAA Division II school in Missouri, and you'll undoubtedly see his name when the all-state teams are announced this year.

"He's a good player," said Cannoy. "Good post moves, good everything. Just aggressive."

The Indians carried a "nothing to lose" attitude into the ballgame. They began the postseason tournament with a 10-11 record and few people thought they'd reach the substate finals, let alone come close to making the state tournament.

"Our strategy was to come out and play loose, be aggressive, get after it," said Manderscheid. "Have no fear. It's been that way the entire tournament."

The Indians probably would have enjoyed a higher level of success this season if they had put all the pieces together, but it turned out to be a choppy ride.

"Sickness or injuries or this or that," said Manderscheid. "I just knew if we ever got some momentum swinging our way we'd be pretty solid. And it showed."

Marion jumped to a quick 7-2 lead, owned a 25-22 edge at halftime and led 42-40 with 3:34 left on a pair of free throws by Frazier. Peter Doyle gave Assumption the lead for good, 43-42, with 3:21 left with a 3-pointer on his only points of the night.

"We knew we were underdogs, but we had full confidence coming in that we can beat that team with the way we've been playing so far," said Cannoy. "We just came up a little bit short."

The Indians gave the Knights all they could handle.

"I don't think it was a very good game for us, especially the first half," said Daniel. "We didn't play with a lot of fire, a lot of passion."

DAVENPORT ASSUMPTION (51): Gould 1 0-0 2, Schebler 0 2-3 2, Vonderhaar 5 2-2 14, Doyle 1 0-0 3, Knouse 0 0-0 0, Wadsager 1 4-4 6, Daniel 10 4-8 24, Gervase 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 12-17 51.

MARION (47): Cannoy 7 0-0 18, Quinn 3 0-0 8, Engle 0 0-0 0, Landuyt 2 0-0 4, Hardman 1 0-0 2, Frazier 5 5-5 15, Schnieders 0 0-0 0. . Totals 18 5-5 47.

Halftime - Marion 25, Assumption 22. 3-point goals - Assumption 3 (Vonderhaar 2, Doyle 1), Marion 6 (Cannoy 4, Quinn 2).