JACKSON – East Marion is a game away from its first state basketball championship after overcoming a comeback to top Potts Camp 80-66 in the semifinals Monday.
The Eagles (26-5) will meet Okolona (29-2) in the Class 1A State Championship Thursday afternoon at 3 in the Mississippi Coliseum following the Chieftains’ 65-55 win over West Lowndes.
Eagles shooting guard Flenard McLin said it feels amazing to reach the championship for the first time in program history.
“We’re on the brink of history,” the senior said, “and now we’re just trying to finish the job.”
It will be a highly anticipated rematch of last year’s quarterfinal matchup that Okolona won 80-54. However, the Chieftains graduated several of their bigger players from last season, and East Marion matches up far more favorably this time around.
In the Final Four victory over Potts Camp, the Eagles jumped out to a huge lead in the first half that ballooned to 20 points, 42-22, in the opening minutes of the second half, but the fouls the Eagles accumulated early came back to haunt them.
With big men John Rawls and Caleb Rawls on the bench with foul trouble, the Cardinals went on a 27-12 run to get back in it with Mitchell Saulsberry leading the way. The talented and long sophomore capped off three straight possessions with and-one layups — all off of offensive rebounds — and dominated the glass, particularly while John Rawls was out of the game. Saulsberry finished the game with 25 points and 20 rebounds (15 offensive).
Potts Camp finished its long comeback with a 9-4 start to the fourth quarter that tied it 60-60 with four minutes remaining, but then the Eagles woke back up. McLin sparked an 8-2 run that spanned just 35 seconds with back-to-back transition layups off steals, and a minute later he finished another layup in transition, drew a foul and swished the free throw to put East Marion up 72-62. The Eagles did everything right the final four minutes, ending a 20-6 stretch with a trip to the state championship.
East Marion head coach Calvin Brown said the Eagles were fortunate to recapture the lead and separate down the stretch. He said it was a gamble to go to their trap defense that led to the steals because had Potts Camp been able to break the pressure it would have put John Rawls in bad position to pick up his fifth and final foul.
Vashon Sims led East Marion with 25 points on 10-of-12 shooting, while McLin dazzled in transition to score 22 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Caleb Rawls added 10 points, nine rebounds and two blocks, and John Rawls chipped in seven points and two blocks as both sat significant minutes. Devin Daniels contributed six points, five rebounds and five steals.
Caption: East Marion's Flenard McLin banks in a transition layup during the Eagles 8-2 run down the stretch Monday against Potts Camp in the state 1A semifinals at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson. The senior’s steals and baskets help break a 60-60 tie in the fourth quarter, leading the Eagles to an 80-66 win and a trip to the program’s first-ever basketball state final. Photo by Joshua Campbell.
