Coming off a great showing in the MLK Classic at East Central Community College’s Clash of the Classes, East Marion dominated its only game of the week Friday night.
The Eagles (17-5, 5-0) deployed a pressure-based defensive strategy at home against Lumberton, which resulted in 15 steals, six blocks and a ton of transition baskets as the Eagles neared the century mark in a 95-61 victory.
“We put in a little half-court trap, and it worked for us,” head coach Calvin Brown said. “At their place they tried to shorten the game and stretch possessions out by holding the ball before attempting to shoot, so we put in a little trap to make them play faster. With Vashon (Sims), Mac (Flenard McLin) and Caleb (Rawls) at the top off it with Devin (Daniels) flying around, we got a lot of steals.”
Brown said the half-court trap is something he could potentially use in the postseason, but it is designed more to combat East Marion’s district opponents. He said district opponents have been trying to spread them out defensively to shorten the game because the Eagles have more manpower than the rest of the district.
Sims was the biggest beneficiary of the defensive strategy, coming away with seven steals that led to a game-high 20 points on 60 percent shooting. Caleb Rawls made 6-of-7 shot attempts for 14 points to go along with a team-high eight rebounds. McLin, who also had five assists, and Carlos Stubbs each had 11 points, and John Rawls shot a perfect 4-for-4 for eight points and had three boards, three assists, three steals and three blocks.
After building a big lead, the Eagles emptied their bench and had 13 different players score. Brown said it’s beneficial for some of the players just on the outside of the rotation to get experience like they did against Lumberton in the event of East Marion losing key players in a tight game due to foul trouble.
While the Eagles are in the midst of a 13-game winning streak, Brown said they need to improve their decision making, ball security and defending set plays.
“When teams are disciplined and execute, a lot of times they get what they want because of miscommunication on defense or just a short mental lapse. We still have to improve.”
The Eagles were scheduled to travel to Resurrection Catholic in Pascagoula Tuesday night, but the game was postponed. As of deadline Tuesday, a makeup date was unknown. They will head to Hattiesburg Friday night for a road game at Sacred Heart before closing their regular season Tuesday at home against Salem, which is Senior Night. The Region 8-1A Tournament is scheduled for Feb. 12-15 at Salem.
Pictured Above: East Marion's Devin Daniels converts a layup in transition. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
