The East Marion Eagles entered the new year with the same goal in mind — a successful run through Region 7-2A competition to put themselves in position for a playoff run. They moved one step closer to that goal Friday night, earning a 47-40 win over Amite County to start 1-0 in district play.
The Eagles (9-2, 1-0) made a strong run through December, with their only losses coming against the Class 4A Columbia Wildcats and the Class 3A Jeff Davis County Jaguars. They wrapped up 2022 with a pair of big wins over Seminary and Richton, defeating both by more than 30 points and building a ton of momentum to carry into 2023. But head coach Calvin Brown said what the Eagles accomplished in non-district play is essentially irrelevant. All that matters is what they do from this point forward because their performance in district play will ultimately determine whether they get the opportunity to play in February's postseason or not.
"As for their potential, the potential is unlimited," Brown said. "They got off to a great start, but in high
Friday night's victory was a full team effort, with eight Eagles scoring throughout the contest. Sophomore Donny Anderson led the way with 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting, along with four rebounds and a pair of steals. Junior forward Ladarien Haynes chipped in 10 points and two rebounds, and senior LJ Andrews finished the evening with eight points, four assists, three steals and two rebounds. The Eagles maintained the lead from start to finish, leaving little doubt that they were the more prepared team in Friday night's district opener.
The Lady Eagles (1-10, 0-1) did not fair quite as well on Friday, falling 45-23 to the Lady Trojans in their first district contest. They competed strongly through the final three quarters but were held scoreless in the first, creating a deficit that was too large to overcome before the end of regulation.
The Eagles and Lady Eagles traveled to West Lincoln on Tuesday for their second pair of district games, but results were unavailable at press time. They'll hit the road again Friday for two more district games against Loyd Star, then they'll return to their home court Jan. 17 to host the Columbia Academy Cougars and Lady Cougars in their second annual MLK Classic.
