MERIDIAN — FULTON – The 14th-ranked East Mississippi Lions moved another step closer to clinching a school-first men’s MACJC North Division basketball title by posting a convincing 83-61 road win over Itawamba Thursday night at the Davis Event Center. In the opener, the ICC women claimed a hard-fought 57-53 victory over the visiting EMCC Lady Lions.
In registering their 11th victory in the last dozen outings, head coach Mark White’s Lions raised their overall record to 19-3, including a division-best 8-1 league mark. With a three-game lead and three division games remaining, EMCC needs one more league victory to reach the 20-win mark on the year and secure the first-ever North Division regular-season championship for the school’s men’s basketball program since the Mississippi Association of Community & Junior Colleges went to divisional play in 1970.
Coupled with their 54-51 home triumph over Itawamba last month in Scooba, the Lions notched their second straight season series sweep over the Indians. Ranked among the national leaders in team scoring defense, the EMCC men own an impressive +20 points-per-game scoring margin over their opposition dating back to December.
In Thursday’s nightcap, the EMCC men scored the game’s first 10 points and stretched their advantage to 18 points (33-15) with seven minutes remaining in the opening half. The Lions’ 43-32 halftime lead was trimmed to five points (47-42) seven minutes into the second half, but the Lions’ backcourt tandem of CoCo Ware and Deonte Alexander proved to be too much for the home-standing Indians down the stretch.
Alexander, a freshman playmaker from Nashville, and Ware, a preseason NJCAA All-American, tallied 26 and 25 points, respectively, in making six 3-pointers apiece on the night. Entering the contest averaging 23 points over his last 11 games, Ware moved closer to the coveted 1,000-point mark and now has 972 career collegiate points to his credit. Freshman Donovan Walker, of Meridian, added 11 points for the winners.
Falling to 13-8 overall and 5-4 in division play, Itawamba was led by Wesley McIntosh’s 17 points.
In Thursday’s opener, the Itawamba women battled through 10 lead changes and seven ties to finally put away a stubborn EMCC club with six unanswered points during crunch time. After Martika Hull gave the visitors a short-lived 51-49 lead with 2:36 left, the Lady Indians connected on three straight baskets to account for their four-point victory.
Hull, a reigning MACJC All-North State standout, finished with a team-high 12 points, followed by Natalie Tate’s 10 points for head coach Sharon Thompson’s 11-10 Lady Lions. The EMCC women fall to 5-4 in division action.
Improving to 15-7 overall and 7-2 in league play, the ICC women were paced by Lori Crudup’s game-high 22 points, including 14 first-half points that helped stake the Lady Indians to a 29-24 halftime advantage.
The EMCC women will step out of division play by playing host to Wallace State-Hanceville Saturday afternoon on the Scooba campus. Tip-off at EMCC’s Keyes T. Currie Coliseum is set for 2 p.m. The East Mississippi basketball teams resume North Division competition next Thursday by welcoming Mississippi Delta to the Scooba campus. Doubleheader action will begin at 5:30 p.m.
Sports
No. 14 EMCC Lions claim solid 83-61 road win over Itawamba
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Neel leaving champion War Eagles for Panthers
Eric Neel spent three seasons coach at East Central. The Hornets played in three state championship games.
Neel then coached the past three years at Wayne County, leading the War Eagles to three straight Class 5A fast-pitch state crowns.
And now, he doesn’t see why the same can’t occur at Quitman. After guiding Wayne County to its third straight championship Saturday, Neel resigned his position in Waynesboro on Thursday to replace Kacie Roberson at Quitman. -
Unexpected Honor
Winning a state championship, that Blake McMullen expected.
To be named the Player of the Year in Class 3A by the Mississippi Association of Coaches, that caught the Southeast Lauderdale senior off guard. -
RCA’s Lee and pair of Generals chosen for All-Star tilt
Russell Christian Academy senior Camryn Lee and Newton County Academy duo Clay Upton and Dillon Williams will wrap up their senior seasons today.
The local trio will play in the MAIS All-Star Class A game at Smith-Wills Stadium in Jackson at 2 p.m. The Class AA-AAA game will follow. -
McFarland named first-team All-American for Jones County
The honors continue to come in for the Jones County Junior College softball program.
Pitcher Ginger Lonergan and centerfielder Relanda McFarland were both named to the NJCAA Division II All-American first-team on Thursday. -
A Family Affair
Five days. Two state titles. One family.
It’d be hard to find a family that had a better week than the one Robbi and Shay Cooper just experienced. -
Roundup — Stephens receives Sekul Award
Adding to his impressive collection of coaching hardware, East Mississippi Community College head football coach Buddy Stephens was presented with the 2011 George Sekul Award during the All-American Football Foundation’s Banquet of Champions held earlier this month at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.
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The Drought Is Over
All Mason Irby was hoping for was to find a way on base.
The Southeast Lauderdale sophomore did that and so much more. Irby's single with two outs in the seventh inning broke a tie, lifting the Tigers to a 6-3 MHSAA Class 3A state championship win at Smith-Wills Stadium on Wednesday, and handing Southeast (32-7) its first title since 1966. -
Ramey shines again, hurls Tigers to MHSAA Class 3A crown
The bar was set pretty high.
After all, Southeast Lauderdale senior right-hander Colby Ramey needed just 65 pitches to beat Kossuth in Game 1 of the MHSAA Class 3A state championship game Thursday.
However, according to fellow senior Blake McMullen, Ramey cleared the hurdle Wednesday when he scattered eight hits on 104 pitches to finish off the Aggies in a 6-3 state championship-clinching win at Smith-Wills Stadium on Wednesday. -
Southeast wins MHSAA Class 3A Championsip
Slideshow from the MHSAA Class 3A state championship game between Southeast Lauderdale and Kossuth.
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Briarwood to host Emerald Coast Golf Tour in June
Professional golf is coming to Meridian.
The Emerald Coast Golf Tour will be holding the Meridian Pro-Am Classic at Briarwood Country Club June 26-29. - More Sports Headlines
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