Coach Kenny Barnes’s Marietta Indians are off to a sizzling start to their basketball
season, which began a little earlier than usual, opening on November 22 at Healdton
due to an OSSAA scheduling change.
“We came into the game with only a couple of days of practice and two scrimmages, so
I was afraid we might have a few cobwebs – and we did,” said Barnes, whose team
struggled shooting the ball. “But one way to make up for that was our defense and
hustle, creating more shots.”
Luis Garcia led the team in scoring with 13 points, along with several steals. Tucker
Kirk, Brian Sanchez, Seth McMillan, and Jorge Salazar combined for 14 points and
didn’t give any second chances, hitting the boards hard and fighting for every rebound.
“We had a few fans comment that they hadn’t seen our boys play that hard from start to
finish in a long time,” said Barnes.
Although the game might not have been pretty, the traveling Indians came home with a
win, leading Healdton in every quarter and finishing with a final score of 38-28.
The Indians were on the road again Tuesday, December 3, this time at Wilson.
“We were still a little rusty, but got off to a good start, leading from start to finish,” Barnes
commented. “Luis Garcia, Tucker Kirk, and Brian Sanchez owned that game. Things got
a little chippy towards the end, but we held our composure and finished strong.”
Sanchez led scoring with 15 points, Garcia had 14, and Kirk had 11 points on the night,
which resulted in another Indian win, final score 49-39. And the Indians got a little more
good news in that Jorge Remis, who had dislocated his ankle in September, was
released by the doctor to play.
In game number three, played on December 5, the Indians were back in Marietta for
their home opener, this time against Coach Kyle Hunter’s Thackerville Wildcats. The
Indians jumped out to an early lead that left Thackerville trailing 20-4 at the first
quarter’s end.
Coach Barnes’s squad kept the pedal to the metal and, after a halftime lead of 30-9,
coasted to a 48-36 win. Garcia led scoring with 10 points, finishing his third game in a
row with double digit scoring, but the scoring load was shared by eight other Indians.
It was a big night for Barnes in more ways than one. The victory over Thackerville
marked his 200 th win in boys’ basketball, a milestone in coaching.
“It was a special night for me, and I thank God and my family for the opportunity, along
with all the players and everyone involved over the years who helped to make this
happen,” Barnes said.
Game four of the season was played at Dibble on Friday, December 6, and it was the
Inidans’ closest contest of the season to date. After one quarter, the Indians led 14-11,
and then managed to build a bit of a cushion and head into the locker room up 22-15 at
the half.
But Barnes’s boys struggled shooting and were plagued by foul trouble, and that caught
up with them in the second half. With less than two minutes remaining in the game and
the Indians down 34-31, Seth McMillan hit a three-pointer to tie the score at 34.
On Dibble’s next possession, Luis Garcia stole the ball and was fouled on a fast break.
After that foul call, the wheels fell off Dibble’s bus when referees were forced to call
technical fouls on a Dibble player and the coach, giving the Indians the opportunity to
convert several free throw attempts into a lead and the win by a final score of 42-34.
Jorge Remis, showing no signs of a gimpy ankle, led scoring with 15 points, including
two from beyond the three-point arc and 7-10 from the free throw line. McMillan shot 7-
12 free throws and connected on one three-pointer to amass 10 points on the night.
After four games, Coach Barnes and the Indians are 4-0, and you can’t ask for a better
start than that.