By LLOYD COMBS
for the Daily Telegraph
GRUNDY, Va. -- Hunter Leffler came out hot. Unfortunately for Marion, Grundy came out hotter.
All five Grundy starters scored early and often as the Golden Wave raced past the Scarlet Hurricanes, 92-60, in an opening round game in the Southern Empire Conference tournament Tuesday night.
The win sends Grundy (13-11) into the SEC semifinals against number one seed Graham Friday at Richlands.
Leffler knocked down four straight 3-pointers in the first period to keep Marion (10-12) within striking distance.
Charles McCoy led six Grundy players with eight or more points with 24 points.
The 6-foot-2 junior also led a mostly fluid transition game, and an 8-0 run that staked the Wave to a 33-17 lead two minutes into the second quarter.
“We just came out hot, running the floor and they couldn’t keep up with us,” McCoy said. “That was the best game we’ve played all year.”
Leffler finished with 18 points, all on 3s and Riley Blevins added 17 points for the Scarlet Hurricanes, who got within 33-24 midway into the second period, before Grundy rebuilt its lead to 45-30 by halftime.
“Hunter has really come on the past couple of ball games,” Marion coach Chad Bailey said. “I just don’t think we matched their intensity.
“They get up and down the floor. We gave up 92 points, a lot of them in transition, and they shot the ball well, especially in the second half.”
Grundy, which opened the third period on an 18-6 run, shot 53.6 percent (37-of-69) from the field overall, including 6-of-14 from 3-point range. Five of those treys came in the second half.
Freshman Christian Jackson came off the bench to hit two 3-pointers and scored 18 points. Wes Peck added two 3s and often led the Wave fast break, finishing with 10 assists and a triple-double (12 points, 11 rebounds).
Marion, which hit 11 treys overall, hustled up and down the floor, too, but simply had trouble finishing what it started.
“Transition, that’s our game,” Bailey added. “We’re not very big, so we like to get out and push it, too. That was just very uncharacteristic tonight. I’m very disappointed, I don’t feel like we played Marion basketball.”
Brian Leaman added 10 points for Marion. Ethan Duty (16 points) and Jordan McCoy (8 points, 6 assists) also played well for Grundy.
Charles McCoy also finished with a double-double, garnering 10 rebounds, while also doling out eight assists.
Peck, meanwhile, added a team-high five steals in what was an all-out and sometimes sloppy, run-and-gun contest.
“I think our pressure defense and our rebounding got our transition game started,” Grundy coach Todd Tiller said. “That got us some easy layups.”
Grundy’s biggest lead was 36 points, at 83-46 after a fast break layin by Jackson with 3:14 remaining.

At Grundy
MARION (60)
Blevins 7 1-2 17, Leffler 6 0-0 18, Crook 3 2-4 9, Leaman 3 2-2 10, Stiefel 2 0-0 4, Norris 0 0-1 0, Dixon 0 2-3 2, Miller 0 0-0 0, Alford 0 0-0 0, Scott 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 7-12 60.
GRUNDY (92)
Duty 6 4-4 16, C. McCoy 10 4-6 24, Peck 5 0-0 12, J. McCoy 4 0-0 8, B. Dillow 3 2-2 8, Jackson 7 2-2 18, Nash-Cleek 1 0-0 3, E. Dillow 0 0-0 0, Hurley 1 0-0 3, Blankenship 0 0-0 0, Lowery 0 0-0 0. Totals 37 12-14 92.
Marion.........................................17 13 7 24 -- 60
Grundy........................................25 20 24 23 -- 92
3-point goals-Mar 11 (Leffler 6, Blevins 2, Leaman 2, Crook), Gru 6 (Peck 2, Jackson 2, Hurley, Nash-Cleek). Total fouls-Mar 9, Gru 11. Fouled out-none. Technicals-none.