The East Marion Eagles (18-3, 7-0) more than took care of business last week to clinch the Class 1A Region 8 regular season title — they dominated and made it look easy, extending their winning streak to eight games and have won 15 of their last 16 contests.
The Eagles made quick work of Resurrection Catholic on their home court last Tuesday night, holding Resurrection to just 15 points in a 37-point win.
Vashon Sims paced the Eagles with 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting to go along with three steals and two blocks on the defensive end. John Rawls added 11 points and eight boards, and Flenard McLin chipped in six points. The game got out of hand so quickly that the Eagles rested many of their players throughout as no other East Marion player scored more than three points.
While Sacred Heart wasn’t quite as inept offensively as Resurrection, the Eagles once again gained a huge lead early on, but this time piled on in front of a packed gym on senior night. East Marion was able to get any shot it wanted and put up its highest point total of the season in a 93-44 win.
John Rawls paced the Eagles with 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting to go along with eight rebounds, while Caleb Rawls had 15 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting night with five rebounds — all offensive — and two blocks. Ja’Mario Marsalis sank five triples for 15 points, Flenard McLin had 11 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals and Jordan Howard added nine points, five rebounds and five assists.
Though the Eagles are guaranteed at least one more home game with East Marion hosting the district tournament, assistant coach Gabriel Ball said it was nice for the players to win in a blowout on senior night.
“It was a big change,” he said. “We’ve had some times when it didn’t work out that well, so it was great to see them go out that way in the last official home game.”
While winning a bunch of games in a row like the Eagles have is always a good thing, there is always concern for a letdown. With East Marion on the horizon of playing win-or-go-home basketball, the coaches are working to keep them grounded.
“You just continue to keep them focused, and we’re already big on unity. We talk to them about it as much as we can,” Ball said. “When you have this much success, there’s so many things that can divide a team when you’re that good. We just continue to speak on (staying focused) as regularly as we can.”
Recently, the East Marion coaching staff has been working with its players on being vocal on defense during practice.
“Just getting better at communication against the pick-and-roll. Whether we’re switching or quick in our stance, communication is the biggest,” he said. “In the midst of a game when the pace is picked up, communication is key. You have to stay on the same page.”
East Marion closed out its regular season at Salem Tuesday night, but results weren’t available at press time. The district tournament is scheduled to begin next Monday and conclude on Friday.
Pictured Above: Jordan Howard runs in transition after a steal. | Joshua Campbell
