Basketball Game Preview: East Marion Eagles vs. Columbia Wildcats

The East Marion Eagles will square off against the Columbia Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. East Marion will be strutting in after a victory while Columbia will be coming in after a loss.

Last Tuesday, East Marion strolled past Mount Olive with points to spare, taking the game 72-54.

Ryan Mallory

Assists (Career)

11/18/25 @ Mount Olive	6
01/10/25 vs Salem	4
01/30/25 vs Resurrection Catholic	3
01/14/25 @ Sacred Heart	3
02/20/25 vs Simmons	2

East Marion's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Ryan Mallory, who shot 62% from the field on his way to 17 points along with six assists and six rebounds, and Amari Sims, who posted 15 points in addition to seven boards and six assists. Those six assists gave Mallory a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Demarcus Murphy, who went 6-for-7 to rack up 13 points.

Meanwhile, Columbia was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Monday as they fell 46-42 to Harrison Central. The Wildcats have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

East Marion will need to focus on slowing down Gabe Peters, one of several Columbia players who made an impact when they last played. He scored ten points and five steals. Peters is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed three or more in each of the last four games he's played. Bryson Foxworth was another key player, putting up 11 points and seven steals.

The win got East Marion back to even at 1-1. As for Columbia, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-3.

East Marion was taken down by Columbia 79-36 in their previous matchup back in December of 2024. Can the Eagles avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.