ALTON - Marquette Catholic guard Braden Kline is off to a sizzling start on the hardwoods. He has been phenomenal from the three-point range and hit five in one game last week in the Roxana Hoopsgiving Tourney. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound senior, is already putting up numbers that will attract college coaches with a 25-point outburst against Freeburg, 18 in a game against East Alton-Wood River, and 17 against Waterloo.

Braden Kline is a Tucker's Automotive Repair & Tire Male Athlete of the Month for the Explorers.

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Kline is known as a hot shooter, but his head Marquette boys basketball coach Cody Best said Braden is developing on the defensive side of play and is "much stronger" physically after a dedicated weight training program and workouts this past summer.

Braden has already paid visits to several colleges and will likely make that decision at the end of the basketball season.

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“Braden definitely put on some muscle this summer and is showing off early and able to attack the basket more because of that strength,” Best said. “He is going to play at the next level and he realized he needed to put on more weight and he took it seriously in the summer. It is showing now the hard work of the summer.”

Coach Best said Braden is labeled as “a shooter,” but he understands the importance of the defensive side and will continue to contribute assists and do “a little bit of everything” for the Explorers.

Marquette Catholic hosts Breese Mater Dei at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, at Marquette in its next encounter.

Again, congrats to Kline on his recognition as a Tucker’s Automotive Repair & Tire Male Athlete of Month for the Explorers.

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