Marion boys basketball team overachieves in Kelly’s first season

            Marion – Being a Marion High School graduate, DJ Kelly had some inside scoop on the talent surrounding the boys basketball team he inherited. However, the season the Swamp Foxes had in his first season at the helm was more than he expected.

           “This season was a true blessing overall,” said Kelly, whose team went 20-9 on the season and 7-1 in winning Region 8-AA in his first season as head coach. “This special group of young men was challenged, battle-tested, focused and resilient from start to finish, and it showed in our efforts on the court. In our first year as a new staff and system, I would say we over-exceeded expectations.

           “I am a home-grown kid, and I was familiar with the talent prior to accepting the position, but what I didn’t know was their ability to play the game at a high level. These guys played and grew collectively above what I expected. It is a direct correlation to their dedication and buy-in to the standard that has been set. I am beyond proud of our amazing seniors who led the way and have set the foundation for years to come.”

           Three of those seniors were named to the All-Region team. They are guard Jamarius Williams, guard Gabriel Cusack and forward Jamorius Wilson.

           Williams was the leading scorer with a 13.0 average to go with 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals. Wilson averaged a double-double of 10.0 points and 10.0 rebounds. Cusack averaged 11.0 points, 4.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 2.1 steals.

           The other seniors are Ron Jamison (4.8 ppg), Cameron Felder (2.9 ppg) anid Tyion James.

           After losing to Marion County rival Mullins 64-54 on January 23, the Swamp Foxes won their final five region games. The last one was a 76-65 triumph over Mullins, which gave Marion the No. 1 seed from the region in the state playoffs.

          Marion beat Central and Woodland in the playoffs before falling to eventual lower state champion Oceanside Collegiate Academy in the quarterfinals.

  “It all boiled down to refocusing, sticking to the gameplan, and believing in our family,” Kelly said of the lone region loss. “That loss brought our family together and increased our belief as a program.”

        Other key contributors were junior Jameir Legette (7.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg), sophomore Charles White Jr. (5.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg) and junior Tahj Lathon (4.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg).

Kelly is excited about Year 2 and beyond.

           “The future of our program is extremely bright,” Kelly said. “We have seven returners coming back for next year, four of which played critical roles this year and all were 100-plus-point scorers and rebounders, with great length returning.”

MARION GIRLS FINISH WITH 11-10 RECORD

          Like Kelly, Chris Sanders was in his first year as the Marion girls basketball head coach. Sanders led the Lady Foxes to an 11-10 record and a third-place finish in Region 8. They lost to Oceanside 46-30 in the first round of the playoffs.

         All things considered, Sanders was happy with the way the season played out.

         “We did some good things being that I was a new coach and person to the team,” Sanders said. “We did improve from the beginning of the season to the end, as all coaches feel. The season ended too quickly for me.”

        Marion was led by junior Jaeda Davis, who was selected to the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association’s AA All-State team. Davis averaged 14.0 points.

       She was joined on the All-Region team by sophomore Maliyah Williams and senior Miracle Samuels. Williams averaged 8.2 points, while Samuels averaged 5.6 points and 3.8 rebounds.

       ”Our strength was our speed. At times we looked quicker than everyone and at times we slowed the ball down ourselves,” Sanders said. “Going into next season we will try and keep the game sped up for the entire game.”