The Marist boys basketball team entered this year’s 4A playoffs with a 18-9 record. The War Eagles failed to win their competitive Region 6, falling to Druid Hills in the region championship. They hadn’t exactly played inspired basketball in their last eight games, as they only won four of those matchups. Yet, with the prospect of a tough playoff road ahead, the War Eagles somehow pulled off a run for the ages.
It started in the first round against 3rd-seeded Cedar Shoals. The Jaguars were under 0.500 in record but had decent wins against North Oconee and Denmark. The War Eagles were pushed to the brink, but survived an upset with a 63-58 victory. Marist knew that a performance like this against second round opponent Baldwin would only lead to their prompt playoff exit.
On the road against a top 3 4A team in Baldwin, the War Eagles took control from the opening tip. Marist played one of their most complete basketball games all season, routing the Braves 60-40 and handing them only their fourth loss all season. It was a stunning upset and an important one as well, as it kept the War Eagles’ season alive and gave them home field advantage for the quarter finals round.
The road, however, wouldn’t get any easier for Marist. They had to face fourth-ranked Monroe, a 24-3 squad that had only lost one game since mid-December. The Tornadoes had two starters who averaged over 10 points a game, while the War Eagles had none. It was a clear scoring mismatch, but Marist held their own, using strong first and third quarters to pull away, 56-47. Monroe scored 10 or less points in two quarters, uncharacteristic for a team that averaged almost 64 points a game. Marist now had two top-five wins in less than a week. They had only one such quality win all season long until this point.
Marist’s magical playoff run finally came to an end against Spencer, a 28-2 squad that would end up winning the 4A state championship by 20 points over Westover. The War Eagles were locked in a defensive battle until a 10-2 Spencer effectively put the game out of reach, 44-36. Marist’s effort, though, was extremely impressive considering none of Spencer’s last eight opponents came within single digits of the Greenwave’s final score. Even though the War Eagles fell in the state semifinals, their playoff run will become history forever.
The success of the Marist boys basketball team became contagious. The girls basketball team at Marist made their own playoff run, making it all the way to the state championship and winning in overtime after Avery Fantucci hit a beyond-half-court shot at the buzzer to send the game to the extra period. It’s safe to say that 2022 was a banner year for both Marist basketball programs, and one neither will ever forget.
