By Donald Heath
Special for the Effingham Herald
SPRINGFIELD – First-year boys’ basketball coach Tramaine Aaron constantly reminds his Effingham County players, “They are the stars of the show now.”
“I tell them all the time, ‘It’s your show. Keion (Wallace) and those guys aren’t here. They’re not walking through that door.’,” Aaron said.
Maybe Keion and past alumni, who led four outstanding basketball seasons (averaging 17.5 wins a season), will walk through the door, but they’re paying seven bucks for a ticket now.
Aaron’s message not so subtly demands his current Rebels to take ownership of this season. They’ve compiled a 4-6 record. After the Jan. 2 game against McIntosh County Academy, ECHS will meet county rival South Effingham at the Rebels’ gym on Friday.
The girls varsity game tips off at 7 p.m., while the boys are slated to begin at 8:30.
No doubt, the hosts don’t mind looking back at the rivalry series. ECHS boys have won 32 straight games against the Mustangs dating back nearly 17 years.
Last season, the Rebels rolled 66-53 and 75-46.
The last time South won was Jan. 6, 2007, 86-82.
But that’s all in the past. Every year, a different team takes the floor.
“I think everyone is well aware of the streak,” Aaron said. “For me, I’m excited about seeing the (expected large) crowd, how we’ll handle that atmosphere. It’s our first region game. It’s a home game. Those are all important things too.”
Aaron played high school basketball at Wheeler in Marietta. At the time, the Marietta schools all competed in the same region (similar to Savannah public schools playing in the same region a few years ago).
“Every game was like a championship. Everyone knew what was at stake,” said Aaron, whose battle-tested teams, accustomed to hostile environments, won state championships in 2002 and 2003.
Can his 2023-24 Rebels respond the same way to be a playoff contender?
ECHS has won two of its last three games by relying on hard-nosed defense. The last time out on Dec. 18, the Rebels held Westminster 20 points under its season scoring average during a 49-42 victory.
But, unlike South Effingham, ECHS did not play in a holiday basketball tournament. The Rebels went 15 days before playing at MCA on Jan. 2.
“Any time you’re away from the game too long you get rusty and not having a tournament hurts our momentum, but we made practices (during the holiday break) more detail-oriented, we’ve had scrimmages,” Aaron said. “It was a good time to weed out the bugs.”
The Mustangs (0-9) have struggled against a demanding schedule this season but took George Walton Academy to overtime before falling 49-42 Dec. 28, 2023, in St. Andrew’s holiday tournament.
SEHS, ECHS girls have mirror starts
South Effingham’s girls will take an eight-game winning streak against Effingham County into Friday’s clash Jan. 5, but both teams are searching to find a foursome to complement their productive guards, Elena Hairston and Kyjana Jordan.
Hairston, a senior point guard, was a first-team all-region performer last season and has averaged a team-leading 14.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.8 steals (through eight games) this season.
Jordan, a second-team all-region guard a year ago, leads the Rebels with 16.1 points. 3.8 steals and 1.9 assists. The junior scored 39 points in a loss to Richmond Hill.
The key question of the game – who will step up to help their team’s star?
SEHS enters the game with a 3-10 record with four straight losses. ECHS (3-7) has dropped four of its last five.
