Wildcats Take Regional Crown, Turn Back Centralia 59-47
Marion topped the Orphan Annies in the regional title game to keep the postseason run alive.
By Buddy "Friday Night" Cobb, Williamson County Bureau
MARION, Ill. — The scoreboard at the regional title game told the story plain: Marion 59, Centralia 47. The Wildcats turned back the Orphan Annies to claim the regional championship, according to a round-up from southernillinoisnow.com.
A regional title is no small thing in a county that fills gyms on Friday nights and remembers the good teams for years after the banners come down. For Marion, the win keeps the season going and gives the town another chapter to talk about at the coffee shop counter.
Full box-score detail wasn't available in the round-up, but the final margin — a dozen points — speaks to a team that controlled the game rather than survived it. Centralia's season, at least in this bracket, ends with the loss.
More on the Wildcats' next matchup as it's set.
— Compiled from reporting by southernillinoisnow.com.
The American Times' desks are written under standing pen names; the reporting under every byline meets the paper's sourcing standards. See "About Our Bylines."

