By By BRUCE HIXON Sports Editor
It just goes to show if you look long enough, you will find somebody in a worse position than yourself.
While the number of available players for Jefferson Davis Community College Warhawks basketball coach Allen Gainer seems to drop with each passing day, Marion Military Institute came into Monday's game at Brewton with just five players.
"We thought we had it tough with just seven players available, but they had to play the entire game with just five. Even though it was not a fast pace game, I know their players had to get fatigued," Gainer said.
Fatigue was not the only thing that wore down Marion. The Warhawks' perimeter game also inflicted plenty of damage in JDCC's 103-80 victory.
The Warhawks hit 16 three-pointers, which included seven each from Randall Burno and John Madison. Kenny Thompson also hit a couple of treys.
"If that isn't a school record for three-pointers in a game, it's got to be close. We'll have to do some research," Gainer said.
Despite the margin of defeat, Marion was also a deadly threat from outside with 11 treys to give the two teams a combined 27 for the game.
Both Burno and Madison used their three-point barrage to set career highs of 27 and 25 points respectively. Ironically Burno continued his strange trend of second half outbursts. All 27 of Burno's points Monday came in the second half.
JDCC (3-7 in the Alabama Community College Conference and 8-15 overall) was in control the entire way.
The Warhawks jumped out to a 15-2 lead in the first five minutes thanks to a pair of treys by Madison, a three-pointer and a traditional field goal by Thompson and two buckets by Brandon Montgomery, who contributed 21 points in the win.
Marion would get no closer than 17-9 after a three-pointer by Blake Nida seven minutes into the game.
JDCC responded to that threat with a 26-10 run over the next eight minutes that swelled its cushion to 43-19. Montgomery came up big in that stretch with five field goals and 10 points, while Madison connected on two more treys.
Marion's Rocky Nichols, who led all scorers with 30 points, had nine of those in the final five minutes of the first half that brought the visitors to within 47-31.
A three-point play by Nichols with 13:27 left cut the once 24-point JDCC lead down to just 61-47.
No need to worry on this night. A bucket by Burno and back-to-back three-pointers by Madison quickly got the lead back above 20 points at 69-47.
That was just part of a 26-point spree by the Warhawks during a five-minute span. Burno accounted for most of that with four three-pointers, an offensive rebound bucket and a drive to the basket for another score. The last of those field goals, the one off a rebound, gave JDCC an 87-57 lead with 8:42 left.
At JDCC
Marion MI 31 49 – 80
JDCC 47 56 – 103
MARION MILITARY INSTITUTE (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Nichols 10-0-10-30; Nida 1-7-0-23; Watterson 4-1-1-12; Barton 3-2-0-12; Newman 0-1-0-3 (Totals: 18-11-11-80)
JDCC (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Burno 3-7-0-27; Madison 2-7-0-25; Montgomery 10-0-1-21; Thompson 5-2-0-16; Foster 4-0-0-8; Drakeford 3-0-0-6 (Totals: 27-16-1-103)