I had an idea in mind for this column, but after witnessing the thriller that was the Columbia Wildcats hosting the East Marion Eagles Friday night, I felt that I had an obligation to hold onto my idea for my next column and talk about what transpired on the court and in the gym as a whole instead.
Going into the boys matchup, I honestly believed that Columbia would be competitive during the early portion of the game but that East Marion would eventually run away with the game. Not that I think Columbia isn’t a good team, quite the opposite in fact, but the Eagles just have the look of a state title contender this season.
While the Wildcats not only hung with East Marion — instead leading the entire fourth quarter until Flenard McLin gave East Marion the lead with 2.5 seconds left — and surprised me in doing so, that was not the biggest surprise of the night for me.
The bigger surprise was the atmosphere in that gym. While this is only my second year in Columbia, I’ve been to nearly all of the crosstown showdowns in every sport since I arrived in Marion County and never have I witnessed an electric atmosphere quite like the one Friday night.
Just how the game went back-and-forth, so too did the fans with various chants and applause. That atmosphere added to the game in a big way. It sparked the kids on the floor to go all out for 32 minutes and leave everything they had on the court.
It was truly an amazing game to witness, both with the play on the court and with the atmosphere in the gym.
What We Learned
We already knew that East Marion’s John Rawls is a beast in the paint and Ja’Mario Marsalis could fill it up from deep. But it was the rest of the guys that added to the Eagles win. Jordan Howard and Flenard McLin, who both played well last season, showed they can handle a bigger load, while freshmen Caleb Rawls and Vashon Sims showed why East Marion could competing for state titles each of the next four years.
For Columbia, TJ Monroe was one of the main guys for the Wildcats last season, but the Wildcats are his team now. He is a bonafide scorer and when he goes, they go. Also, when Nick Averett’s perimeter shot is falling, the Wildcats can put points up in a hurry. They just need one of their bigs to step up going forward.
