Early victory catalyst for Marion season

A lot of coaches can point to a moment or a game where a team turned things around and started to develop chemistry.

For Leon Sturkey and the Marion Swamp Foxes, that game came sooner than maybe most expected.

A preseason tournament win over Darlington, the Class 3A lower state champs, helped spark the Marion girls’ dominant run through the regular season and into their first state title game appearance.

“I think after beating Darlington, that showed our team the potential we had,” Sturkey said. “We set goals at the beginning of the season, and now we have one left.”

The Swamp Foxes (23-2) are hoping to reach that goal today when they face Pendleton (22-5) for the Class 2A championship at Colonial Life Arena.

Sturkey, now in his fifth year, guided the Swamp Foxes to back-to-back 19-win campaigns before this season. But Marion lost two of its best players in Rhodi Gause and Delesha Williams, leaving a significant scoring and rebounding void.

“I was a little nervous entering the season,” senior captain Shaquita Taylor said. “With the people we lost, you just didn’t know what to expect.”

Sophomore Candace Wright helped offset the loss of Gause. In her first year of varsity ball, Wright has averaged 14.6 points and 9.1 rebounds, both second on the team.

“Candace came in and stepped up and did some things to replace a player (Gause) that we didn’t know if we could replace,” Sturkey said. “We knew she had the potential to be a good player based on what we saw out of her in junior varsity games.”

But Wright didn’t do it alone, either. Region 8-2A player of the year Geneika Brantley leads the team with 17.1 points, 11.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.

“We came in from day one and focused on what we needed to do,” Brantley said. “Everyone kind of took their roles and we played good the defense the whole year.”

Taylor is averaging 13.3 points a game, giving the Swamp Foxes a trio of go-to scorers. Jessica Grant along with Amira and Amber Timmons are all averaging five or more points as well, giving Marion a potent offensive lineup.

But defense has been the staple of the team.

“If you play good defense, the offense comes easier,” Sturkey said. “The girls didn’t play their best offensive game against Silver Bluff in the lower state final. But they played great defense. We held them to 15 points in the second half, I think.”

Marion now faces a team predicated on defense. Pendleton has no players averaging more than 12 points a game, and all-state player Modina Scott is known more for her defensive than offensive skills.

The Bulldogs also have a knack for drama. Their last three playoff wins have included three overtimes and have come by a combined 10 points.

“We just have to focus on what we do,” Taylor said. “They play good defense, but so do we. If we can create turnovers and limit ours, we’ll be in good shape.”

And Sturkey is hoping offensive balance will play a big role.

“Having three different players in double figures, and three more who are close, it gives you a lot of options and makes the other team not focus on stopping just one player.”