The East Central Community College Lady Warriors jumped on the Hinds Lady Bulldogs early and never let up in posting a 77-44 MACJC South Division win Thursday, Jan. 24, at J.D. Boyd Gym in Utica. In the men’s action, a furious second-half comeback by the ECCC Warriors fell two points short as the Hinds Bulldogs picked up a 78-76 win.
It was the second straight win for the ECCC Lady Warriors and second straight double-digit victory after defeating Meridian 84-64 on Jan. 22. East Central dominated the boards, pulling down 50 rebounds to just 21 for Hinds. The Lady Warriors also produced 12 steals on the night, including four by Kimberly Green, a freshman forward out of Amanda Elzy in Greenwood. The East Central defense held the Hinds Lady Bulldogs to just 25 percent shooting from the floor for the game.
East Central led by only 10 at the half, before running away with the third period 30-9 to put the game out of reach.
The Lady Warriors were led by the 17 points and seven rebounds of sophomore forward Sharan Turner (Gonzales, La., East Ascension), as 11 players got into the scoring column. Sophomore guard Breanna Riley of Biloxi and freshman guard/forward KeiMoya Walker of Jackson Murrah came off the bench to score 10 each. Walker had a game-high eight rebounds.
With the win, the ECCC Lady Warriors improved to 12-3 overall and 3-3 in MACJC South Division play to move into a tie for fourth place in the standings. The Hinds Lady Bulldogs fell to 5-9 and 0-6.
The Hinds Bulldogs were on fire in the first half of the men’s game, shooting 60 percent from the floor and pushing out to as much as a 15-point lead. Hinds led East Central 48-35 at the intermission. The Warriors battled back in the final 20 minutes, cutting the lead to three with under 10 minutes to play. East Central got to within one point with 3.7 seconds to play before free throws sealed the win for Hinds.
For the game, Hinds went to the free throw line 18 more times that East Central, making 11 more of the free attempts than the Warriors.
Freshman Nick Preyer (Mobile, Ala., Leflore) had a career night for East Central in the loss with 26 points, including a perfect four-of-four on three-point shots. Also scoring in double figures for the Warriors were freshman guard Devin Carter of Pearl with 14 and sophomore guard Roti Ware of Morton with 13.
The loss dropped East Central to 7-8 overall and 0-6 in division play. The Hinds Bulldogs improved to 9-6 and 2-4.
East Central will host Gulf Coast on Thursday, Jan. 31, on Be Our Guest night for high school students in Neshoba County. Game times both nights are 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
East Central Basketball Teams Split With Visiting Meridian
The East Central Community College Lady Warriors broke a two-game losing streak with a crucial 84-64 MACJC South Division win over the visiting Meridian Community College Lady Eagles Tuesday, Jan. 22, in Brackeen-Wood Gym in Decatur. In the nightcap, the ECCC Warriors dropped their fourth straight game in a 79-63 loss to the MCC Eagles.
The Lady Warriors shot 60 percent from the field in the first two periods to push out to a 13-point halftime lead, 48-35. East Central continued to shoot well from the floor in the second half in grabbing the 20-point win.
For the game, ECCC shot 54 percent from the floor, including 10 of its 24 three-point shots. It was the best shooting game for East Central since a win over Southern University-Shreveport back on Nov. 19. The Lady Warriors also held a decided edge on the boards, 34-22.
Sophomore guard Feria Mays of Kosciusko led the way for ECCC with 15 points. Freshman guard Jariyah Covington of Starkville added 12 and sophomore forward Diamond Wraggs of Louisville chipped in 10.
The Meridian Lady Eagles were led by a game-high 22 points from freshman guard LaChrisha Williams out of Choctaw Central.
With the win, the ECCC Lady Warriors improved to 11-3 overall and 2-3 in MACJC South Division play. The Meridian Lady Eagles fell to 8-6 and 2-3.
In the men’s game, the Meridian Eagles pushed out to a 10-point lead at the half, 37-27, and built that lead in the second half to the 79-63 final margin. East Central went to the free throw line 39 times in the contest, hitting only 25 of those attempts. The two teams were whistled for a combined 58 fouls in 40 minutes of play.
Meridian had a good night shooting from beyond the three-point line, hitting 9 of 15 shots for 60 percent.
East Central freshman forward JaQuarius Smith out of Noxubee County led all scorers with 18 points. Sophomore guard Roti Ware of Morton was the only other Warrior in double figures with 14. He also had four steals.
Freshman guard Iverson Smith of Ripley led MCC with 13 points, while 6-8 sophomore center Brandon Mills of Mendenhall pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds.
The loss dropped East Central to 7-7 overall and 0-5 in division play. The Warriors have now dropped seven of their last eight games after starting the season 6-0. The MCC Eagles improved to 7-6 and 2-3.
