Both the East Marion Eagles and Lady Eagles are heading to the postseason next week despite both rosters being extremely young and inexperienced.
The Eagles (12-12, 6-2) ended their district schedule with a heartbreaking road loss Feb. 1, losing 47-45 to Loyd Star at the buzzer. With the game tied 45-45, the Hornets got a bucket in the paint to go up two before the Eagles got a “solid look” at the end that would have won the game, but it didn’t go in. East Marion shot 20 of its 45 shots from behind the arc, and head coach Calvin Brown said the reliance on the outside shot came from the Hornets packing the paint, cutting off driving lanes and keeping East Marion out of transition.
“It was contrasting styles. It was almost like a rematch against CA,” Brown said.
Ladarien Haynes led the Eagles with 12 points, while Jacob Johnson knocked down three 3-pointers for nine points and Donny Anderson added seven points.
East Marion had to play Loyd Star again Tuesday in the second round of the Region 7-2A Tournament, but results were unavailable at press time. Prior to the game, Brown said it would come down to which team’s preferred playing style prevails — can East Marion speed the Hornets up or can Loyd Star slow the Eagles down?
After receiving a first-round bye as the No. 2 seed in the district, the Eagles have already clinched a playoff berth. The district tournament will determine what seed they get going into the state tournament.
The Lady Eagles (12-14, 3-5) ended their district slate on a high note with a 49-45 win at Loyd Star Feb. 1. They had previously lost to Loyd Star in mid-January by 20 points, and Brown said to beat the Lady Hornets this time around gave East Marion confidence and is a snapshot of the team’s potential.
“We’ve been competitive with everyone in our district on certain nights,” he said. “We’ve just been so inconsistent. We’ll have a great night then a terrible night. We still haven’t figured out what triggers either.”
After losing their regular season finale Friday to South Jones 52-26, a game in which Jayda Porter (13 points) was the only Lady Eagle with more than four points, the Lady Eagles bounced back in a big way Monday.
In the first round of the district tournament, they beat Amite County handily 47-26 behind 20 points from Destiny Brown and 10 apiece from Ellen Porter and Kylie Watts to punch their ticket to the Class 2A playoffs.
The Lady Eagles played West Lincoln Tuesday night in the second round of the district tournament, but results were unavailable at press time. Prior to the game, Brown said the Lady Eagles’ chances will depend on which East Marion squad shows up. In their first meeting, the Lady Eagles went toe-to-toe with West Lincoln in a 48-44 loss then got blown out by the Lady Bears on the road two weeks later 53-20.
The Class 2A Playoffs begin Monday for the Lady Eagles and Tuesday for the Eagles. Their seeding will be determined on how their respective district tournaments play out.
