The Jones College men’s and women’s basketball teams came into Brackeen-Wood Gym in Decatur with a combined record of 33-5 overall and 19-1 in MACJC South Division play, but each left with a blemish to their record as the East Central Community College Lady Warriors and Warriors both pulled upsets Monday, Feb. 11.
The East Central Lady Warriors avenged a 28-point loss to the Jones Lady Bobcats in Ellisville back in January with a stunning 74-71 win Monday night over the nation’s No. 5 ranked team.
As if that weren’t enough excitement for the evening, the East Central Warriors took the Jones Bobcats to overtime for the second time this season, but this time were able to hold on for an 84-81 win. Jones won the first meeting 71-69 in overtime back on Jan. 17. The Bobcats beat previously undefeated and No. 7 ranked Pearl River in their most recent outing.
Both the Jones Lady Bobcats and Bobcats were sitting atop their respective MACJC South Division standings when the night began.
The men’s game provided the most thrilling finish of the night, as the Warriors got a tip-in at the buzzer in regulation to tie the game 70-70 and send it to overtime. East Central trailed 70-67 with less than three seconds to play when freshman guard Nick Preyer went to the free-throw line for a one-and-one. Preyer hit the first free throw and intentionally missed the second. On the miss, Warrior freshman guard Haden Boyd (Stringer) came down with the rebound and a jump ball was called with the possession arrow favoring East Central. The ensuing inbounds pass by Preyer was tipped right into the hands of freshman forward Marcus Bates who laid it in to send the game to extra time.
The Warriors would then outscore Jones 14-11 in overtime for the three-point win.
East Central shot nearly 60 percent from the floor in the first half in pulling out to a 40-28 lead. A 15-4 run to end the first half put the Warriors in control at intermission.
Jones used a 10-0 run to start the second half to get back in the game. The Bobcats would eventually take the lead and extend it to 10 points, 67-57, with about two minutes to play before the Warriors would outscore Jones 13-3 down the stretch to send the game to overtime.
Five East Central players scored in double figures in the win, led again by sophomore guard Roti Ware of Morton with 27 points, four rebounds, two assists, and three steals. Preyer (Mobile, Ala., Leflore) had 13 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Freshman forward Dontavious Smith of Terry added 11 points and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds. Bates (Tuscaloosa, Ala., Paul Bryant) added 11 points, while freshman guard Zack Tucker out of West Lowndes had a career-high 10 points.
With the win, the Warriors improved to 10-10 overall and 3-8 in MACJC South Division play. Jones fell to 15-5 and 9-2. Jones fell out of a tie for first place in the South Division, while the Warriors kept their slim playoff hopes alive with three games to play.
The Lady Warriors ended a two-game losing streak with the upset over the highly ranked Jones Lady Bobcats behind 22 points from freshman guard Jariyah Covington out of Starkville.
The game was close throughout the first two periods, with the biggest first-half lead coming at five points for Jones. The Lady Warriors would end the second period with a 6-0 run to take a 38-35 lead at the half.
East Central came out of the locker room in the third period and grabbed a 13-point lead, 53-40. But Jones kept plugging away and used a 10-0 run to pull within 53-50. The Lady Warriors would move back out to an 11-point lead in the final period, and then survived a tense final 40 seconds as Jones made a late run to try and tie the ballgame.
Covington hit four clutch free throws as time was winding down, and sophomore forward Diamond Wraggs (Louisville) and freshman forward KeiMoya Walker (Jackson, Murrah) both blocked three-point shots as the Lady Warriors held on for the three-point upset win as a final desperation half-court shot by the Lady Bobcats was off the mark.
Sophomore guard Breanna Riley of Biloxi added 11 points for the Lady Warriors, while Walker chipped in 10. Sophomore forward Sharan Turner (Gonzales, La., East Ascension) and freshman forward Kimberly Green (Greenwood, Amanda Elzy) both had seven rebounds.
The ECCC Lady Warriors are now 15-5 overall on the season and 6-5 in division play. East Central sits in fifth place in the South Division. The top four teams in each division make state tournament play. The Jones Lady Bobcats dropped to 18-2 overall, but still hold a three-game lead at the top of the division with a 10-1 record.
East Central travels to Meridian on Thursday, Feb. 14, for games at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
The Warriors and Lady Warriors will play their final home games when Hinds visits Brackeen-Wood Gym on Monday, Feb. 18, for Sophomore Night. The women’s action begins at 5:30 p.m. and the men play at 7:30 p.m.
Warriors Grab Road Win, Lady Warriors Fall at Co-Lin
After coming up on the short end of a lot of close basketball games of late, the East Central Community College Warriors finally won a close one with a 77-72 victory over the Copiah-Lincoln Wolves Thursday, Feb. 7. The East Central Lady Warriors dropped their second straight game in the opener 70-60 to the Lady Wolves.
Eight of the Warriors’ 10 losses this season have been by a combined 26 points, including a four-point 78-74 loss to Co-Lin back on Jan. 14 in Decatur. But East Central would not be denied in the rematch with Co-Lin. With the game tied 60-60 with five minutes to play, East Central took control down the stretch for the win.
The game was close until the final minutes, with nine lead changes. East Central’s biggest lead of the night was the five-point final margin. The Warriors trailed 36-34 at the half.
East Central forward Marcus Bates was the difference in the game. The freshman from Paul Bryant High School in Tuscaloosa, Ala., had a career night with 30 points and 13 rebounds. He was a near-perfect 11 of 12 shooting from the floor and hit all seven free throws he attempted. Fellow freshmen guard Nick Preyer (Mobile, Ala., Leflore) and forward JaQuarius Smith of Noxubee County also had strong games with 16 and 10 points, respectively. Preyer dished out five assists.
East Central shot 50 percent from the floor for the game, and outrebounded Co-Lin 36-23.
With the win, the Warriors improved to 9-10 overall and 2-8 in MACJC South Division play. Co-Lin fell to 10-9 and 3-7.
The ECCC Lady Warriors ended the two-game road swing this week with a pair of losses.
In a contest between two teams battling for a playoff spot in the MACJC South Division, the Co-Lin Lady Wolves rode a strong first half in the win. East Central fell behind by 11 at the half, 39-28, and was unable to make up the difference in the final two periods.
The Lady Warriors hit just 9 of 20 free throws in the game, while Co-Lin connected on 19 of its 24 free shots. The Lady Wolves also had 41 rebounds to 29 for East Central.
Freshman guard Jariyah Covington of Starkville continued to have the hot hand for the Lady Warriors, scoring 20 points. Sophomore forward Diamond Wraggs of Louisville had 12 points as the only other East Central player in double figures. Wraggs also had six rebounds
The ECCC Lady Warriors are now 14-5 overall on the season and 5-5 in the league. The Co-Lin Lady Wolves improved to 15-4 overall and 6-4 in the South Division.
The Warriors and Lady Warriors return home Monday, Feb. 11, to face Jones College at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. It will be Be Our Guest night for high school students from Winston County who will be admitted free and qualify for door prizes. The 2019 Warrior baseball team will be introduced at halftime of the men’s game at Brackeen-Wood Gym in Decatur.
East Central travels to Meridian on Thursday, Feb. 14, for games at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
