The defending Class 1A state champs are heading into the 2A playoffs on an unfamiliar path. The East Marion Eagles finished fourth in Region 8-2A and traveled to Region 6-2A champ Philadelphia Tuesday night (results unavailable at press time) for a first-round matchup.
Head coach Calvin Brown said prior to the game Tuesday that the seeding doesn’t really matter because he sees Philadelphia (21-5) as a similar opponent to what East Marion (7-18) faced in its own district.
“They’re very similar to the other teams in our district where their best player (Jordan Hill) stands out and the other players kind of fill in the gaps. Their best guy is a big (point) guard at 6-foot-4 with length. He’s at the top of the list for us,” he said. “Then they run a half-court zone trap, similar to North Forrest, so we’ve got to deal with that. Once we get to the second level, we have to attack and put pressure on their defense.”
Brown added it would be key for the Eagles to limit Philadelphia to one shot because the Tornadoes have a number of players capable of bringing down offensive rebounds.
“They’ll beat you on the glass if you’re not physical,” he said.
East Marion got the fourth seed after losing to North Forrest 64-56 in the district semifinals Feb. 13 at Collins then to Collins 57-49 the following night.
Brown said what hurt East Marion in the final two district tournament games was the other teams making plays when the games were hanging in the balance while the Eagles didn’t.
“When there was a big possession offensively or defensively, I really give a lot of credit to the other teams. For instance, North Forrest’s second-leading scorer had a career night against us in the third-place game. Against Collins one of their role players, who had been shooting terrible against us, had an 18-point night with three or four timely 3-pointers,” he said. “Our district was so closely matched that that was going to be the difference.”
Against North Forrest, Devin Daniels led the way with 16 points, while Caleb Rawls added 13 points and nine rebounds. Carlos Stubbs and Evin Beach each chipped in nine points. Rawls led the Eagles with 14 points against Collins, followed Daniels with 11 and Cameron Walker with nine.
Rawls, who was also named Region 8-2A offensive player of the year, was named to the all-district team along with Stubbs.
Pictured Above: East Marion's Cameron Walker makes a 3-pointer against Perry Central in the district tournament Feb. 10. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
