By TREY HICKMAN/For the Reporter

CALERA — A formidable pass-catch combo on the gridiron proved its worth on the hardwood to help George Drake grab his first win as Calera boys’ varsity basketball head coach with an 86-61 thumping of visiting Marbury.

Jordan Bishop, a standout wide receiver for the Eagles’ football team, recorded a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, while Ronnie Clark, who enjoyed success this fall as Calera’s quarterback, poured in 16 points in a contest the home team controlled throughout.

“I think we came out with a lot of effort and I was really proud of my guys for coming out with a lot of effort and energy,” said Drake, who is in his inaugural season guiding the Eagles. “I think that Marbury is a very well-coached team, they’re a good team and I think today we were able to put two halves together, and that’s something we talked about this week in practice and I was really proud of my guys’ effort.”

Calera (1-1) built a 43-26 halftime lead thanks in large part to Clark, who scored 13 of his 16 points prior to the break, including a perfect 5-of-5 from the free-throw line. As a team, the Eagles were 11-of-13 in free-throw attempts over the game’s first two quarters.

On the strength of Tyric’ Ray’s eight points, Marbury (2-4) played Calera to a 20-20 tie in the third quarter, though the Eagles still held a 17-point advantage heading into the final period. Calera broadened its lead in the fourth set to get the 25-point victory.

“It’s still early for all of us though,” Drake said. “It’s our second game this year. (But) I really think that our guys took a step forward today, especially on the defensive end, some of the things that we talked about throughout the week that we want to work on. We really got an opportunity to reap the benefits of some of the stuff we did in practice.”

For Calera, James Gayden and Tyler Harrell each had 10 points, Keddrick Thomas chipped in with nine, and Terrence Baskin and Chasen Baker posted eight apiece.