In a game in which the #12 Edison Eagles (4-1, 11-2) had 13 turnovers, it was their senior leaders who served as the adults in the room. Gabriel Casillas, Jaden Ignacio, and Jared Clawson all scored in double figures to lead their team to a 67-61 district road win at Marshall.
“They make it easy, they’re all senior guys who have been around for a while and any time Jared [Clawson] is on the floor I feel very confident with the ball in his hands,” Edison head coach Terry Henderson said. “And if anything happens, I know that Jaden can step up and handle the ball as well.”
Clawson finished the night with 18 points including two threes, and Ignacio followed with 10 points of his own and handled the ball with ease through four quarters.
After a sloppy, back-and-forth first half for both teams (Marshall had 11 turnovers, Edison had nine) the score was tied at 32 and it looked as if the game was going to be completed in shootout fashion. However, the shootout ended up being rather one-sided, favoring Edison.
In the Eagles’ first possession of the second half, Edison senior Gabriel Casillas got fouled on the way to the rim and completed a three-point play. From there on the Eagles were locked in offensively, holding the lead the rest of the way. They ended the game shooting 42% from beyond the three-point line and were not afraid to shoot from deep range. Casillas ended the night with 30 points.
“We got four guys who can put it up from the outside and from almost anywhere. It’s one of our goals every night to get those looks from three,” Coach Henderson said.
Junior Jack Taylor did his best to keep the Statesmen in the game, scoring 27 points in a losing effort. “We just wanted to make him work,” Coach Henderson said. They did indeed, as the Eagles forced 16 Marshall turnovers on the night and kept their offense frustrated. The Statesmen (3-2, 5-9) shot just one of seven from three-point range.
The two teams will face off for the second time at Edison on February 11th.
–Mark LeDuc