Marion used an aggressive man-to-man defense to build a 40-11 lead by halftime and coasted past Dyersville Beckman, 64-38, Tuesday night in its season and Wamac Conference girls basketball opener at Marion.

Sophomore Emi Banes, playing her first varsity game, scored a game-high 16 points, including nine free throws in the fourth quarter. Freshman Amanda Sahm had 13 markers for the Indians. Marion's bench players, including Banes and Sahm, accounted for 41 of the Indians' 64 points.

“It felt amazing, last year I just wanted to get varsity minutes now that I got them I wanted to make the most of it,” Banes said.

After a great first half the Indians were outscored 27-24 in the second half.

“The main thing was our intensity, it was much better in the first half,” Marion Coach Brian O’Donnell said. “You have to credit Beckman, too. They played hard in the second half.”

Marion dominated both ends of the court in the first quarter. The Indians didn’t give up a field goal and shot 56 percent to take a 21-3 lead. The hot shooting was partially due to easy layups because of the multiple turnovers the Indians forced. Marion forced 32 Blazer turnovers in the game.

Both teams looked like different squads in the second half. Beckman outplayed the Indians, which was a little disconcerting to O'Donnell.

“One thing this team is learning to deal with is success,” O’Donnell said. “We have to learn to close and not coast.

“The main thing was we were getting the shots we want,” said O’Donnell said, whose club struggled shooting the ball in the second half.  “We hope to be a team that can pick each other up if someone is struggling.”

Another concern for O'Donnell was the 24 fouls his team committed.

“(The fouls) were something we talked about needing to address,” O’Donnell said. “We have to make sure we do all the little things defensively.”

Marion gets back on the court next Tuesday at Solon.

DYERSVILLE BECKMAN (38): Bridget Hogan 0 0-0 0, Becca Deutmeyer 6 6-12 12, Erica Mulcahy 0 0-0 0, Tara Manternach 0 2-2 2, Jenna Lansing 3 2-2 8, Andrea Keegan 2 0-5 4, Katie Pirc 1 2-4 4, Mariah Hargrafen 0 0-2 0, Danielle Kennedy 2 4-4 8, Beth Oberbroeckling 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 16-32 38.

MARION (64): Allison Scott 2 0-0 4, Jessie Kramer 3 1-2 7, Beth Knapp 0 0-0 0, Dani Peyton 3 0-0 8, Alyssa Jones 2 0-0 4, Micaela Combs 1 1-2 3, Michalyn Mohr 2 0-0 4, Emi Banes 5 3-4 16, Amanda Sahm 5 2-2 12, Elizabeth Deeney 0 1-2 1, Brooke Cole 1 0-0 3, Ashlin Korf 1 1-1 3. Totals 25 9-13 64.

Halftime – Marion 40, Dyersville Beckman 11. 3-point goals – Marion 5 (Peyton 2, Banes 3) Total Fouls – Dyersville Beckman 16, Marion 24. Fouled Out – Sahm.