East Marion (13-5, 2-0) extended its winning streak to nine games with a pair of district wins last week and learned some lessons along the way.
The Eagles traveled to Lumberton Jan. 8 and battled through the Panthers’ stall for a 48-35 victory. Eagles head coach Calvin Brown said it served as a reminder that they have to be prepared for everything.
“We know we’re going to be the favorite pretty much every night from here out,” he said. “They tried to take the air out of it, shorten the game and try to beat us for four minutes. But we were able to get out in front and make them play from behind. That’s something we’re going to have to be prepared for down the road.”
Senior center John Rawls had a monster game with 16 points on 7-of-7 shooting, 15 rebounds, four assists and four blocks. Brown has been using the 6-foot-9, 265-pounder in different situations lately rather than as a classic post-up big man to take advantage of his skillset. Instead of setting up in the low block and settling for hook shots or being called for an offensive foul because he is so much bigger than anyone else on the court, he has spent more time at the elbows and on the perimeter. The change forces defenses to pick their poison of defending him with a full head of steam in the lane with multiple defenders while leaving shooters open or hoping one guy can defend him.
“I hate it took me three years to figure out that sticking him on the block and letting him be big (isn’t the best way to use him),” Brown said. “First off he’s not allowed to (bang down low) with his fear of a quick whistle and just timing kids being under him, I think it made him mechanical and think about every step he’s taking. Since the beginning of the year, we’ve made a more conscious effort to move him around a little bit. He’s much more athletic than people have seen for the past three years.”
Vashon Sims complemented Rawls with an all-around performance of his own with 11 points, seven boards and six assists, and Flenard McLin had 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting.
Friday night at home the Eagles withstood a rough start to blow out Resurrection Catholic 63-33. Neither team scored through the first four minutes of the game, and once the scoring started Resurrection matched East Marion shot for shot. It wasn’t until the final 30 seconds of the first quarter that East Marion began to hit its stride as Sims nailed a pair of 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions, one at the buzzer, to break the game wide open.
The contest was far from the first time the Eagles have struggled early only to blow their opponent out, and Brown said it’s bound to happen when you’re the team to beat.
“Some of it is schemes with (teams) trying to make us think. They know what we like to do,” he said. “It’s obvious we like to get (Rawls) going early and play inside-out, and they try to take that away. Pace wise they know we want to run, so people are making a conscious effort to slow it down. So it’s coaching, preparation, practice — all those factors that go in to preparing for postseason play.”
Sims paced the Eagles with 18 points on 58 percent shooting and had seven rebounds and three assists. Rawls added 15 points, six boards and three steals, and McLin (seven points) and Devin Daniels (four points) both had three steals and two assists.
While the Eagles are nearing a double-digit winning streak, they have been playing without one of their best players for nearly a month. Caleb Rawls has been out since Dec. 22, and Brown said there’s no timetable for a return because the situation is totally unpredictable. The 6-foot-6 combo forward has been dealing with growth plate pain in his knee, and he’s facing a Catch-22 every day. When he rests his knee gets stiff and is hard to loosen up, but when he’s active he gets swelling.
“He’s really in a tough spot as far as understanding what it would take to get him back full speed. It changes day to day,” Brown said. “We’re hoping at the end of the day he gains a couple more inches out of it.”
While Caleb Rawls is a key player for East Marion’s title hopes, his absence has allowed Lawrence Lambert to establish himself as one of the top perimeter defenders on the team.
“When he’s in there, obviously we’re quicker and faster,” Brown said. “When Caleb is in there, we’re bigger and longer. Both of them do a good job in playing their roles. We just have to go with who is available.”
East Marion hosted Sacred Heart Tuesday, but results were unavailable at press time. The Eagles will play at Salem Thursday and take on Seminary Saturday afternoon at East Central Community College as part of the annual MLK Classic.
Pictured Above: Eagles guard Flenard McLin floats for a reverse layup in a 63-33 home victory over Resurrection Catholic Friday night. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
