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Jan. 16—CAPSHAW — It seemed likely that the East Limestone boys basketball team would take a step back this year.
At least, that's what the Indians wanted people to think.
After finishing 24-6 and reaching the Sweet 16 last season, the Indians lost a few key pieces to graduation. The most notable was Zak Cain, a first-team All-State player and The Decatur Daily's 2025 Player of the Year.
It would be fair to assume that after losing a star like Cain, a team would regress, even if it was just a little bit. However, East Limestone never saw it that way.
"Anytime you lose a player-of-the-year caliber guy, everyone that's on the outside looking in thinks there's just no chance you can be as good," said East Limestone head coach Jake Moran. "That was never the feeling around here though. We knew what we had coming back, and we were excited about the potential we had."
It turns out, Moran and his team knew exactly what they were talking about. So far the Indians are 20-3 and ranked No. 2 in Class 5A, which is a higher ranking than they reached at any point last season. They also have won 14 games in a row, with their last loss coming in November.
"This is my fourth season here, and when you look at our records each year, we've improved each season. I think that's a real testament to our players," Moran said. "It doesn't matter who the star is or who scores the most points, our guys just want to win."
Despite the loss of key players from last year, Moran said his team has taken the next step in large part due to how many guys have the ability to be a top scorer. Six players — Coleby Davis, Charlie Eslick, Kayne Myers, Lonnie Dunbar, Zay Sales and Chris Fitts — have led a game in scoring at least once this season.
"Last year, because Zak was so good and had the ability to take over a game, everything kind of ran through him. This year, even though we still have guys that can take over a game, everyone is more involved," Moran said. "It really could be any guy on any night and that makes us hard to defend."
It's not just a balanced attack on offense that has led to so many wins this season, though, but improvements on both ends of the floor.
"I would also say our defense has been a big reason for our success," Moran said. "We're bigger this year, and that's allowed us to be more physical inside and force some turnovers, which creates things for our offense."
As East Limestone enters the portion of the season where games start to count even more, the No. 2 Indians are no longer flying under anybody's radar. Despite this, Moran said he isn't worried because his team remains motivated and hasn't gotten complacent.
"We've been building each year, and last year when we reached the Sweet 16, it gave our guys a taste that's only added fuel to the fire," he said.
— [email protected] or 256-340-2395. Twitter @CalebSuggs2
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At least, that's what the Indians wanted people to think.
After finishing 24-6 and reaching the Sweet 16 last season, the Indians lost a few key pieces to graduation. The most notable was Zak Cain, a first-team All-State player and The Decatur Daily's 2025 Player of the Year.
It would be fair to assume that after losing a star like Cain, a team would regress, even if it was just a little bit. However, East Limestone never saw it that way.
"Anytime you lose a player-of-the-year caliber guy, everyone that's on the outside looking in thinks there's just no chance you can be as good," said East Limestone head coach Jake Moran. "That was never the feeling around here though. We knew what we had coming back, and we were excited about the potential we had."
It turns out, Moran and his team knew exactly what they were talking about. So far the Indians are 20-3 and ranked No. 2 in Class 5A, which is a higher ranking than they reached at any point last season. They also have won 14 games in a row, with their last loss coming in November.
"This is my fourth season here, and when you look at our records each year, we've improved each season. I think that's a real testament to our players," Moran said. "It doesn't matter who the star is or who scores the most points, our guys just want to win."
Despite the loss of key players from last year, Moran said his team has taken the next step in large part due to how many guys have the ability to be a top scorer. Six players — Coleby Davis, Charlie Eslick, Kayne Myers, Lonnie Dunbar, Zay Sales and Chris Fitts — have led a game in scoring at least once this season.
"Last year, because Zak was so good and had the ability to take over a game, everything kind of ran through him. This year, even though we still have guys that can take over a game, everyone is more involved," Moran said. "It really could be any guy on any night and that makes us hard to defend."
It's not just a balanced attack on offense that has led to so many wins this season, though, but improvements on both ends of the floor.
"I would also say our defense has been a big reason for our success," Moran said. "We're bigger this year, and that's allowed us to be more physical inside and force some turnovers, which creates things for our offense."
As East Limestone enters the portion of the season where games start to count even more, the No. 2 Indians are no longer flying under anybody's radar. Despite this, Moran said he isn't worried because his team remains motivated and hasn't gotten complacent.
"We've been building each year, and last year when we reached the Sweet 16, it gave our guys a taste that's only added fuel to the fire," he said.
— [email protected] or 256-340-2395. Twitter @CalebSuggs2
Continue reading...
