The East Marion Eagles (12-15) had their season come to a close Feb. 15 after falling 63-54 to Heidelberg on the road in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs. East Marion led 13-10 at the end of the first quarter but was outscored 13-6 in the second quarter and 24-18 in the fourth quarter.
Eagles head coach Calvin Brown said the game came down to the Eagles simply not executing their game plan.
“We bought that lesson. We had control of the game and basically controlled our own destiny, but we reverted back to poor shot selection and poor execution,” he said.
Sophomore Donny Anderson, who flashed at different points throughout the season, saved his best performance for last with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 shooting from behind the arc. He also led the Eagles with nine rebounds and had the team’s only block.
“He has a very high ceiling. When he realizes his potential, he could be special,” Brown said.
While Anderson was efficient and dominant for East Marion, the rest of the Eagles combined to shoot just 10-of-42 from the field and 1-of-13 from behind the arc. The Eagles also made just 12-of-25 free throw attempts.
The Eagles went 6-2 in the month of January but ended the season on a five-game losing streak.
Brown said going into the year, he viewed the Eagles as a blank canvas and as a team that could become whatever they wanted to become. But next year, he said they are going into the season with concrete goals of winning the district and making it to the Big House in Jackson.
“I believe it can happen. That isn’t a random, abstract goal. That’s with having seen everybody and the landscape of 2A,” he explained. “I think it’s a very attainable, realistic goal.”
The veteran coach identified Caden Mingo and Ladarien Haynes who he believes can take their games to the next level, as well as eighth-grader Carnelius Lenard and freshman Brian Foxworth.
The Eagles are graduating Deuce Johnson, Terry Lisenby, Ja’Don Patton and Steve Robbins, and Brown said they have all have meant a lot to the program. He said Johnson has seen it all and will leave East Marion as a state champion and that Lisenby, Patton and Robbins are prime examples of perseverance. Lisenby, Patton and Robbins all waited their turns by playing junior varsity for three years before becoming a part of the rotation as seniors. He added that those three plan to join the Army National Guard, while Johnson has college aspirations.
