The East Marion Eagles are heading to the Final Four to play in the Mississippi Coliseum Monday at noon after defeating Piney Woods 82-53 Thursday night.
East Marion (25-5), who was won 21 straight games, will meet Potts Camp after the Cardinals beat Biggersville 86-74 Thursday.
Piney Woods hit four 3-pointers in the first quarter as East Marion led just 18-15 heading into the second quarter, but the Eagles went on a 26-2 run that spanned nine minutes of game time through the end of the second quarter and into the third to pull away.
John Rawls had a huge game, scoring 26 points, controlling the action in the paint on both sides of the floor and throwing down a monster alley oop from Vashon Sims. Caleb Rawls poured in 17 points with a pair of dunks, while Sims had 13, Devin Daniels 12 and Flenard McLin eight.
“It feels very special, but I feel like we aren’t done yet,” John Rawls said after the win. “We know how it feels to make it to the Big House. We had a tough game last year, so we have to play ball now. It feels good, though.”
Meanwhile, the Columbia Wildcats (15-17) season came to an end as they lost to Velma Jackson 69-60. The Wildcats competed well into the fourth quarter, but the Falcons were able to pull away down the stretch.
Pictured Above: East Marion senior John Rawls flushes down a dunk off of a lob from Vashon Sims Thursday night in a win over Piney Woods. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
