Many athletic teams at Rosepine High School have made a name for themselves the last several years.

Now the boys basketball team is taking its turn in the spotlight.

The baseball team won state titles in 2021 and ’22, the girls basketball team is the two-time Non-select Division III state champion, and the football team made a pair of quarterfinal runs in 2021 and ’22.

“Baseball, softball, football, girls basketball, cross country and track field have all competed at the highest level,” Eagles head coach Logan Maddox said. “Now we get to hop on. The community support is unbelievable. We had as many people on the road as the home team. When we are home, they pack the gym every night. That is a big deal.”

The Eagles (22-3, 5-0 District 4-2A) are in the midst of a 19-game win streak, but they prefer not to focus much on that despite all the success. They are ranked No. 5 in the Select Division III power ratings with three weeks left in the regular season.

“It’s the elephant in the room,” Maddox said of the streak. “We just try to get better every day. Our practices are very intense. We never discuss it. The kids know, but as a team we don’t talk about it.”

The Eagles are wearing down opponents with their offense (76.8 ppg). They scored 80 or more points 10 times and have four in the starting lineup averaging more than 10 points a game in seniors Hayden Brister (23 ppg), Emmanuel Brownlee (14 ppg, 7.8 rpg), Aiden Shell (10 ppg, 8.9 rpg), and sophomore Jacob Norris (13 ppg).

“Most teams are worn down about mid-third quarter,” Maddox said. “I try to play nine guys and we run and score.

“It is hard to stop an offense if you are playing unselfishly. They are making the right reads now. It is hard to stop when you have five guys on the floor that can score. It is hard to game plan.”

In their 75-69 overtime win Thursday at Vinton, the Eagles scored 21 points in 7 minutes to go from down 14 to up by four points with 3:44 left in regulation. Brister (39 points, 10 rebounds) and Brownlee (16 points, 12 rebounds) posted double-doubles.

“When we get to the quarterfinals, hopefully, it is going to be a single-digit game,” Maddox said. “You can’t panic, and you have to be able to execute. We started prepping for that in November. It paid off for sure.”

Maddox said one key has been a culture that started when he took over the program five years ago when many of his current players were in junior high school. In the four seasons before Maddox, the Eagles never won more than nine games. They have won more than 20 in two of the last three seasons.

“I read a quote that changed my entire outlook on kids and education,” Maddox said. “It said that kids don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

“I have lived by that the past seven, eight, nine months. It has completely changed the culture. They have matured throughout the years. We have all watched them grow up. It is not just me. It is a community thing. That is just the product of their hard work.”

The one thing they are trying to work on is defense (57.4 ppg), he said.

“We have to play a little better defense,” Maddox said. “I tell other coaches that, and they laugh at me because we score so much.

“We are prepping for playoffs. You can’t always outscore everybody. We have to keep people from driving. Sometimes we put so much pressure that it opens up some driving lanes. We work on that every day. It is not perfect, but it is getting better.”