Sophomore forward Sharan Turner scored seven of her game-high 17 points in overtime to power the East Central Community College Lady Warriors to a 75-67 win over the Pearl River Lady Wildcats in MACJC South Division basketball action Jan. 10 in Brackeen-Wood Gym in Decatur. The No. 17 ranked Pearl River men overpowered the Warriors in the second game with a 99-66 win.
The women’s game was close throughout with the scored tied on a dozen occasions, with 18 lead changes. East Central led 34-30 at the half, before the Lady Wildcats took the lead in the third period and led most of the second half.
Two free throws by Turner (Gonzales, La., East Ascension) with under two minutes to play in regulation gave East Central a 61-60 lead. Pearl River’s Gabby Brown hit a layup with seven seconds to play to help the Lady Wildcats regain the lead at 62-61. East Central sophomore forward Whitney Waters out of Heidelberg was fouled with 6.1 seconds to play and made one of two free throws to tie the game at 62-62.
The Lady Warriors would steal the inbounds pass with three seconds to play but were unable to get a shot off before the final buzzer.
In overtime, East Central outscored Pearl River 13-5, including Turner’s seven points and a big three-point shot from Waters in front of the Lady Warriors’ bench.
Waters ended the game with 14 points, seven rebounds, and two steals. Freshman guard KeiMoya Walker (Jackson, Murrah) was also in double figures with 11 points. Sophomore forward Diamond Wraggs of Louisville pulled-down a game-high 10 rebounds, while freshman forward Timia Dora also of Louisville had three of the Lady Warriors’ five blocks in the win.
With the win, the ECCC Lady Warriors improved to 10-1 overall and 1-1 in MACJC South Division play. The Pearl River Lady Wildcats are now 7-3 overall and 1-1 in the league.
It was all Pearl River in the men’s contest, as the Wildcats led by as many as 20 in the first half before taking a 48-33 lead to the locker room.
Freshman guard Nick Preyer (Mobile, Ala., Leflore) had a big night for the Warriors with 20 points, including three of four from beyond the three-point circle. Freshman forward JaQuarius Smith of Noxubee County had 14 points and six boards. Freshman guard Devin Carter of Pearl added 10 points for the Warriors.
East Central shot just 37 percent from the floor for the game, while the visitors hit nearly 60 percent of their shots.
The loss dropped the Warriors to 7-4 overall and 0-2 in South Division play. Pearl River remained undefeated at 11-0 and 2-0.
The ECCC Warriors and Lady Warriors will remain home to host Copiah-Lincoln on Monday, Jan. 14, in Brackeen-Wood Gym in Decatur. The women tipoff at 5:30 p.m. and the men at 7:30 p.m. It will be Be Our Guest night for high school students in Scott County who will be admitted free.
Following that action, the East Central teams will travel to Ellisville to face Jones College in games set for 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 17.
ECCC opens 2019 with sweep of East Mississippi
The East Central Community College Lady Warriors and Warriors opened 2019 in style with a basketball sweep of home-standing East Mississippi in games played Tuesday, Jan. 8, in Keyes T. Currie Gymnasium in Scooba.
Both games came down to the wire, as the ECCC Lady Warriors overcame a five-point deficit to start the fourth period to pull out a 55-52 win over the EMCC Lady Lions. In the men’s game, a last-second shot by EMCC was off the mark as the Warriors pulled out a 58-57 win.
With the win, the ECCC Lady Warriors improved to 9-1 on the season, while the EMCC Lady Lions fell to 4-8. The East Central Warriors snapped a three-game losing streak with the one-point win to improve to 7-3. The EMCC Lions fell to 7-5.
The women’s game was close throughout with the scored tied 10 times. The two teams were tied 22-22 at the half before the Lady Lions pulled away by five in the third period. East Central came up with a big fourth quarter to grab the 55-52 win.
Freshman guard Jariyah Covington of Starkville came up big for the Lady Warriors with 16 points, three rebounds, and two steals. Sophomore forward Diamond Wraggs of Louisville was the only other Lady Warrior in double digits in scoring with 12 points. She also led East Central in rebounding with six. Sophomore guard Feria Mays of Kosciusko had four of East Central’s nine steals in the game.
In the nightcap, East Central led by seven points with five minutes to play before EMCC closed the gap to one and missed that final shot. The East Central Warriors were in command most of the game before the final run by the Lions. East Central led 28-22 at the half.
Sophomore guard Roti Ware was again the leader for East Central with 18 points and 10 rebounds, both game highs. He also had three assists and two steals. Freshman guard Nick Preyer (Mobile, Ala., Leflore) chipped in 11 points, while freshman forward Marcus Bates (Tuscaloosa, Ala., Paul Bryant) had 10. Preyer had a game-high in both assists (5) and steals (4).
The ECCC Warriors and Lady Warriors return to action Thursday, Jan. 10, when they host Pearl River in Brackeen-Wood Gym. The women tipoff at 5:30 p.m. and the men at 7:30 p.m. The Pearl River men’s team is currently ranked No. 17 in the nation. It will be Be Our Guest night for high school students in Leake County.
Following that action, the East Central teams will host Copiah-Lincoln on Monday, Jan. 14, at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. All Scott County high school students will be admitted free for a special Be Our Guest night.
