Taking on an 0-15 team as one of the best teams in its classification, East Marion (14-3, 3-0) rightfully discarded the Salem Wildcats with ease Friday night at home in a 60-point, 77-17 win.
Over the first two quarters, the Eagles outscored Salem 23-4 and 28-3, respectively, and cruised through the second half with a running clock.
John Rawls, who also had 12 rebounds and two blocks, tied for the team lead in points with Flenard McLin, who led the team with five assists, with 13 points apiece. Devin Daniels added 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting off of the bench, fueled by five steals, including three on consecutive possessions in the second half.
Getting points off turnovers has been an area of emphasis for the Eagles all season, and the results are beginning to show.
“I think they are taking it to heart and making a conscious effort to make it part of our identity. So far so good,” head coach Calvin Brown said.
Ja’Mario Marsalis chipped in 11 points, making three shots from behind the arc, while Vashon Sims contributed eight points, five rebounds and a monstrous putback dunk to ignite the crowd in attendance.
While their past couple of games haven’t been too competitive, the Eagles are still aiming for improvement.
“I think we can stand to improve a little bit in everything,” Brown said. “If we’re going to be at our best when it matters most — I call January detail season and that’s where we need to focus on every single detail; if it’s a strength we have to try to perfect it and if it’s a weakness try to turn it into a strength.”
The Eagles hosted Stone Tuesday night in the start of a busy week, winning 71-55. They will head to Hattiesburg Thursday night to play Sacred Heart in a makeup game then to Lumberton Friday night. Brown said playing Sacred Heart and Lumberton in district play is going to be huge for East Marion.
“It’s either going to establish us as the clear-cut frontrunner and team to beat or it’s going to create a race,” he said. “If either one of them knocks us off, then we’ll have a race for positioning the rest of the season. If we’re fortunate to get both of them, then we pretty much establish that everybody is chasing us.”
Both tipoffs are scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Pictured Above: Nicholas Beach makes a contested post fadeaway against Salem. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
