The Eagles did what was expected of them Saturday night in the second round of the Class 1A playoffs — win, and win big — to advance to the Elite Eight.
East Marion (24-5), who is riding a 20-game winning streak, controlled the action from start to finish to eliminate Hamilton 70-39. The Lions featured two prototypical bigs that double as offensive lineman for the football team, but East Marion’s athleticism left them in the dust.
“They had big, space-eating guys, and we were able to get them up and down the floor,” head coach Calvin Brown said. “Their best playmaker was probably not used to being matched (physically). We had guards who did a good job staying in front of him; you could tell he’s used to getting to the basket. We pretty much had them outmatched personnel wise.”
East Marion will play host to Piney Woods (16-5) in the quarterfinals Thursday night at 7, and Brown said it’s going to come down to how the Eagles defend Tyrek Chambers. The senior guard averages 26.4 points per game, and Brown said he already has a college-level game on the offensive end.
“He plays offensively at the college level as far as creating shots, reading matchups and just getting buckets,” he said. “They have one great player, two good players (Geronimo Warner, who averages 19.8 points, and Jor’Dan Warren, who averages 10.6), two role players (Steven Edwards and Ahkia Terry) and no bench.”
Brown said the Eagles should have an advantage inside and with their depth, but they have to defend well enough not to let Chambers, Warner and Warren carry Piney Woods. He said the trio is good enough to carry the Tornadoes to a victory over a good team, and East Marion needs to play with maturity and exploit mismatches.
Brown added knocking off Piney Woods to advance to the Final Four and play in the Mississippi Coliseum again would be a breakthrough for the Eagles.
“I’ve been here 21 years, but I’ve been following the state tournament since ’95 or ’96. That round of eight where we lost to Okolona last year was really South State. This would feel like our breakthrough of actually making it to Jackson, to the Big House,” he said. “Losing to the eventual state champ last year and feeling like we were at least as talented as them, maybe not as experienced or as seasoned on that stage, we like our chances and are excited about it. We feel like we control our own destiny.”
Making it to the Mississippi Coliseum to play in the Final Four would match the program’s best season, which was in 1984. The Eagles would match up with either Biggersville (24-4) or Potts Camp (23-5) Monday, March 4 at noon with a trip to the title game on the line. The championship will be played Thursday, March 7 at 3, with Okolona (27-2), Simmons (20-10), McAdams (15-11) and West Lowndes (18-8) alive on the other side of the bracket.
In the win over Hamilton Saturday, it was the usual suspects who rose to the occasion for East Marion. Caleb Rawls had a game-high 16 points, Devin Daniels dominated in transition to finish with 14 points and Flenard McLin had 11 points, three assists and three steals. Vashon Sims added eight points, four boards, four assists and four steals, and John Rawls had seven points, five blocks, four rebounds and three assists.
Sophomore Cameron Walker, who played a lot early in the season until the football players came back to the team, erupted late in the fourth quarter with several highlight-worthy plays and a smooth jumper, finishing with nine points. Brown said he still has a ways to go defensively and with his decision making, but if the right situation called for it his ability to score in bunches as an offensive playmaker could come in handy.
Pictured Above: East Marion's Caleb Rawls drills a 3-pointer from the top of the key in a 70-39 win over Hamilton Saturday night. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
