Caption: The Marlins huddle together for a team picture after dominating Salisbury.
James Hill|Courtesy
Men’s Basketball soundly defeated Salisbury University 74-50 to win the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) championship. The Marlins proved why they were the No. 1 seed in the tournament, winning all three games by double digits.
The Marlins gained momentum early, taking a 15-4 lead from hot shooting, forcing a Salisbury timeout less than three minutes into the game. Salisbury went on a little run until junior Amari Moorer forced a clutch steal leading to his own emphatic dunk on the other end to go up double digits again.
Salisbury forward Jordan Oates kept the Seagulls in the game with a quick 11 points early on, cutting the deficit to as little as 5 points before the half.
Marlin’s senior Omari DeVeaux responded with a fast answer to begin the second half, knocking down a couple of three-pointers to help build the lead back up for the Marlins. With 11 minutes left, Salisbury trailed by 17 and attempted to go into a 3-2 zone but it was too late for the Seagulls to catch up.
The Marlins didn’t look back after hot shooting to begin the second half outscoring Salisbury 41-24 in the second half. DeVeaux led the Marlins in scoring with 26 points shooting 9-17 from the field in the win.
DeVeaux was also awarded the ECAC tournament MVP after great performances in the games leading up to the championship as well.
“Honestly, it feels good to end the season on a win. Just being able to be happy about something and seeing everyone’s faces not sad after a season made me happy,” DeVeaux said.
The guard recently scored his 1,000th collegiate point after coming back from a devastating knee injury the year before.
“My first game back was special for me because I went through so much to get back to playing basketball,” DeVeaux said.
The Marlins will not have to worry about finding a new guard as DeVeaux will be returning using his medical hardship year and becoming a graduate student.
Senior center Waylo Wilson was the other senior on the Marlins roster, so the majority of the team will get to run it back next season, but Wilson’s presence on and off the court will be missed.
“His impact on the team and just how good a person he is, especially in a teammate setting, is something every team needs to be successful,” DeVeaux said.
Wilson provided a spark on both sides of the court, especially with his interior defense leading the team in blocks with 44 for the year.
The Marlins won’t be losing all of their size on the glass as junior Amari Moorer will look to take another big step next season after a great year.
“I look to get stronger, faster and in better shape than this past season. I also need to expand my game so teams can’t stop me next season,” Moorer said.
Moorer led the team in rebounds this year with 229 total along with 65 offensive rebounds, causing stress for opposing teams every time the ball hits the rim.
“It feels great to end the season with a win and a championship. Now we can use that as momentum going into next season,” Moorer said.
Moorer’s favorite moment of the season was coming back from down 20 points to defeat Franklin and Marshall College.
The Marlins will be getting back four of their five starters for next year with just Wilson leaving the picture. Junior guard Khai Seargeant is looking forward to building off the tournament victory.
“I feel like bringing back our core guys is really gonna give us the edge we need to be successful for next season. We mesh really well together, and I think that it will definitely elevate us as we move forward,” Seargeant said.
Seargeant wants to be a go-to guy down the stretch of next season and is looking to improve on his jump shot and strength in the offseason.
“I love being around the guys and playing basketball so every day is a great day when we’re all having fun and playing together,” Seargeant said.
Despite not winning the ODAC conference, the Marlins ended the season with an impressive winning streak, and with few players leaving, they will look to make a run next year.
By Coy Camiscioli
clcamiscioli@vwu.edu
