Last season, East Marion cruised to a Class 2A Region 8 title, winning all 10 of its games, which includes the two in the district tournament.
Last week marked the first district competition of the season for the Eagles, who are now in Class 1A, and if that first week is any indication — it likely is a very good one — the Eagles may very well cruise to another district title.
In its two district games, East Marion (12-3, 2-0) outscored Lumberton and Resurrection Catholic by a combined 142-37 with its defensive intensity being a big reason why, according to head coach Calvin Brown.
“I thought we were real active and aggressive, and we’re starting to get better in terms of positioning and being where we’re supposed to be when we’re supposed to be there,” he said.
Brown said, as a coach, it feels good only allowing 37 points — along with tallying 35 steals and 16 blocks — in a two-game span, especially against district opponents.
“We emphasize the defensive end and the kids are buying in,” he said. “They’re starting to understand the fun we have on offense and the frequency and quality of the shots we get is based on what we do on the defensive end.”
It started at home last Tuesday night against Lumberton, which Brown expected to be a competitive game, yet the Eagles jumped out to a 32-6 halftime lead and piled on in the second half to win 63-21.
John Rawls was dominant in the post with 14 points, nine rebounds and four blocks, while Ja’Mario Marsalis sank four triples on his way to 14 points as well. Flenard McLin added 12 points, and Vashon Sims stuffed the stat sheet with six points, six boards, three assists, two steals and two blocks.
That momentum carried to Pascagoula Friday night as the Eagles again got out to a sizable early lead — 24-4 after the first quarter — and even held Resurrection scoreless in the third quarter in a 79-16 victory.
Sims had himself a night with 20 points, 11 rebounds, seven steals and five assists, while John Rawls had 20 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. McLin chipped in 16 points, and Caleb Rawls, despite scoring just two points, was crucial with 10 rebounds — six offensive — and four blocks. Jordan Howard also stuffed the box score with six points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals.
It’s that multiplicity of skills, stemming from the Eagles length and athleticism littered throughout the roster, that overwhelms most opponents when they step onto the hardwood with East Marion.
“Our length has really bothered people. For the most part in our class and our district we seem to be deeper than most (teams) we play,” Brown said of the Eagles strengths. “And I like the chemistry. I like the way people are starting to settle into their roles.”
That doesn’t mean the Eagles are unbeatable, however, and there are plenty of areas of focus going forward.
“There’s always room for improvement,” Brown explained. “Defensively, since we’re so long, we cover up a lot of the things we’re doing wrong with our defensive assignments. That’s something we’re going to have to fix before our season is on the line.”
The Eagles offense centers around the presence of the sheer size and athleticism of John and Caleb Rawls and Sims, which creates a lot of point-blank looks around and above the rim, both in transition and in the half court. But Brown knows there will likely come a time when East Marion is going to have to shoot from the perimeter consistently to win in crunch time.
Marsalis, who takes 79 percent of his shots from behind the arc and averages close to two three-pointers made per game, is the Eagles designated sniper. However, he has made just 30 percent of his three-pointers, and the Eagles are shooting 28 percent from deep as a team.
“Perimeter shooting — we get to the basket a lot — so the few perimeter shots we make end up being icing on the cake, but there may come a point when we need to make shots from the perimeter,” Brown said. “That’s something we always can improve on.”
The Eagles were scheduled to take on Sacred Heart (9-9, 1-0) Tuesday, but it was rescheduled for Jan. 25. Brown said the Crusaders are one of the few teams in the district the Eagles need to be concerned about.
“They’re definitely a threat,” he said Monday. “They’re senior laden with six seniors, and those seniors have played in the Coliseum before. They’re deceptively athletic. They’re not going to have the athletes we have from top to bottom, but they are definitely a threat.”
While the Eagles silenced Lumberton in quick order last week, Brown believes the Eagles shouldn’t take the Panthers lightly either going forward.
“Lumberton, at our place, played a little bit against the buzz we’ve created with the reputation and things they may have heard about us,” he said. “But when we go back into their place after they have laid eyes on us and had a chance to come up with a game plan, it’s definitely not a given. Night in and night out we have to show up and take whatever people throw at us.”
The Eagles will return home Friday night, playing host to Salem (0-15, 0-2) with tipoff expected at 7:30.
Pictured Above: CJ Myers soars for the Eagles to convert a layup in transition against Lumberton. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
