Source: The Oakland Press
Author: Dan Fenner
TROY >> On opening night, Farmington Hills Mercy came ready to run.
Operating at a relentless pace in the first half Wednesday, the Marlins flew past Troy Athens with basket after basket scored quickly in transition. Before long, Mercy’s efficient offensive possessions stacked up, leading to an eventual 69-39 road win.
“That’s the way we’ve been practicing,” Marlins coach Gary Morris said of the fast pace. “We’re not very big, but we can, at times, put a really athletic group out there, so we’re going to try and go that tempo if we can.”
Troy Athens was at its best in the first few minutes of the game when it jumped out to a 9-2 lead. The Red Hawks’ advantage was short-lived, however, as Mercy responded with a 17-0 scoring run later in the stanza.
“I thought in that stretch, there was some really good passing. That was really a positive,” Morris said of scoring 31 points in the first eight minutes of play. “We shared the basketball, we had a lot of people contributing on offense, all of those things were good.”
Beginning the second half with a 50-28 lead, the Marlins held the Red Hawks scoreless for the first five minutes of the third quarter, which helped put the game safely out of reach.
With its lineup dominated by sophomores who got their feet wet on varsity as freshmen a year ago, Mercy remains a relatively young team, though one with a baseline of experience.
The Marlins’ top four scorers were all sophomores, led by Jill Smith’s team-high 16 points. In support, Julia Bishop contributed 11 points, while Ellie Tisko and Alexis Roberts added nine points apiece.
“Each of them got minutes last year, some more than others, but that experience at the varsity level helps,” Morris said of his sophomore contingent. “That group kind of got us going tonight when we had five sophomores on the floor. What’s nice about that group is they can all score.”
A year ago, Mercy was eliminated in a Class A district final by Southfield A&T. The Marlins’ program is two years removed from a trip to the state quarterfinals.
“I think we have the potential to be pretty good, but we might go through some growing pains,” Morris said, noting the difficulty of his team’s non-conference schedule over the next month.
“Obviously, we hope we’re better a month from now than tonight, but for the first game, I’m pretty pleased.”
As for Athens (0-1), junior Isabelle Crum posted a game-high 16 points for the Red Hawks, with Abby Bright chipping in with eight points and Grace Bright adding five more.
Athens will again compete in the Oakland Activities Association’s White Division, having finishing in the middle of the pack last season (7-13 overall).
Up next, Mercy (1-0) will face Macomb Dakota on Saturday at Calihan Hall in Detroit, while Athens is off until Tuesday when it goes on the road at Birmingham Groves.