MERIDIAN —
The Meridian Community College Eagles have experienced many difficult times throughout the 2012-2013 season and were looking for that illusive first victory this season. The Eagles got the monkey off its back Sunday afternoon at the Graham Gymnasium with a dramatic 46-45 victory against Wallace-Hanceville. It also marks the first win for Eagles head coach and former MCC standout Cedric Drake.
The two squads swapped the lead for much of the second half and the Eagles had possession of the ball with the game tied at 45-45 with less than 10 seconds remaining in regulation. Former Meridian High standout Nick Waters was fouled with four seconds remaining and headed to the charity stripe with a pair of free throws. Waters drained the first free throw and came up short on the second opportunity to give Wallace-Hanceville one final chance for the game winning score.
After a timeout, the Lions — who defeated the Eagles 100-35 earlier in the season — drove the length of the floor for a desperation shot that came up short to give MCC its first victory.
Freshman William Byrd led the Eagles with 18 points and T.J. Jones added nine points.
MCC (1-19) returns to action Saturday night for another key Miss-Lou Conference game on the road against Baton Rouge Community College. The game is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. and will be played at Millsaps College in Jackson.
Wallace-Hanceville 64
Meridian women 56
The Lions were able to hold off a fierce comeback by MCC in women's action to take an eight-point road victory.
The Eagles trailed by at least 15 points on two different occasions in the second, and couldn't overcome the enormous deficit.
The Eagles cut the lead to as few as three points in the final five minutes, but Wallace-Hanceville hung on.
Gelese Lampton led the way for MCC with 19 points, while former Newton High star Ashtin McNichols added 12 points. MCC struggled shooting from the floor in the contest, finishing with a shooting percentage of 29 percent.
MCC (13-7) returns to action Saturday night on the road against Baton Rouge Community College at 6 p.m. The game will be played at Millsaps College in Jackson.
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