Marandet To Play At Grace Saturday
WARSAW – It seems like a perfect time for Paul Marandet to make a return home this weekend.
The former Warsaw basketball star has been playing some nearly perfect basketball of late for sure.
Marandet will lead his Spring Arbor team into the MOCC on Saturday for a Crossroads League clash with host Grace College. The game is the second of a women’s/men’s twin bill and is slated to tip-off at 3 p.m.
Marandet, a sophomore guard for the No. 13 ranked Cougars, has been honored as the Crossroads League Player of the Week for the past two weeks. He has scored 20 or more points in his last four games, including 26 on Tuesday night when Spring Arbor dropped a tough 63-62 final at home to No. 11 Bethel in league action.The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Cougars.
Marandet, who helped lead the Tigers to the Class 4-A semistate in 2016, is averaging a team-high 18.5 points-per-game for his team, which is 16-3 overall and 4-3 in league play. He is also averaging 5.9 assists per contest.
Marandet made 29 starts a year ago for Spring Arbor and averaged 13 points-per-game. He earned All-Freshman Team honors and was a Third Team All-Conference Selection.
The Lancers feature a trio of former area players of their own in Braxton Linville, Tim Swanson and Sam Miller. Sophomore guard Linville, who played at NorthWood, leads Grace in assists at 5.1 per game. Junior Swanson and freshman Miller both played at WCHS. Swanson has played in nine games this season and Miller has appeared in seven contests.
Grace is 7-12 overall and 0-7 in league play after a 79-66 conference loss at Marian on Tuesday night. The Lancers have lost four in a row.
Marandet is also scheduled to play four more conference games in the area in the regular season. Spring Arbor plays at Saint Francis in Fort Wayne on Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. and visits Huntington on Jan. 27 at 3 p.m. The Cougars will then play at Bethel in Mishawaka on Feb. 6 at 3 p.m. and at Indiana Wesleyan in Marion on Feb. 17 at 3 p.m.
The Spring Arbor at IWU clash on Feb. 17 will pit Marandet versus former Warsaw teammate Kyle Mangas, who is having a phenomenal freshman season for the Wildcats.