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SCOOBA – The eighth-ranked Lions of East Mississippi Community College had their 18-game home winning streak snapped with Monday’s 79-76 overtime setback to Baton Rouge Community College. In the opening game of Monday’s hoops twin bill on the Scooba campus, No. 7 Shelton State Community College claimed an easy 72-45 triumph over the EMCC Lady Lions at Keyes T. Currie Coliseum.
In Monday’s nightcap, EMCC’s Lions held the early advantage with three different eight-point leads during the opening 10 minutes of the first half. The visiting Bears closed the gap and took the lead on a couple of occasions before maintaining a slim 33-32 halftime edge.
Battling from behind to begin the second stanza, the home-standing Lions initially dug themselves a hole when sophomore Micah Walker was hit with two unsportsmanlike conduct technical fouls. Resulting free throws by BRCC’s DeShawn Washington increased the visitors’ lead to seven points (53-46) by the 12:31 mark.
Ignited by the play of sophomore transfer Jarekious Bradley along with freshmen Jacolby Mobley and Adrian Edwards, the Lions scored 10 unanswered points midway through the half to turn a 55-49 deficit into a 59-55 lead with eight minutes remaining in regulation. As EMCC held onto the narrow lead, a pair of Bradley 3-pointers seemingly put the Lions in good position on top 70-64 with just 1:20 left to play.
Another momentum changer in the contest went against the Lions minutes later when Washington was fouled by Mobley on a made three-point field goal. The subsequent made charity toss made it a two-point contest with a minute left in regulation. Following a missed runner in the lane by EMCC freshman point guard Nick Giles, Baton Rouge’s Morris Wright scored on a driving shot off the glass to knot the score at 70-70 with 8.5 ticks left. The Lions had a chance to take the contest in regulation, but Bradley’s 3-pointer misfired at the buzzer.
During the extra period, Jeffrey Walker scored seven of Baton Rouge’s nine points in overtime. His left-handed drive to the basket put the Bears on top 78-76 with 35.3 seconds remaining. Walker then rebounded the second of two costly free throw misses by EMCC’s A.J. Wade and went to the line. His 1-of-2 effort at the stripe extended BRCC’s lead to 79-76 with 15.8 seconds left in the contest.
As they did at the end of regulation, the Lions again had their chances during the final seconds of overtime. Bradley, who scored 29 of his season-high 34 points following intermission, could not tie the score by missing a 3-pointer during the waning seconds. EMCC received another potential opportunity when Wright fouled Giles with 5.1 ticks left to become the fourth Baton Rouge player to foul out in the contest. Even after Giles misfired on both charity tosses – the 18th and 19th misses from the line for the Lions on the night – EMCC got yet another chance when BRCC’s John Isaac was called for traveling when he fell to the floor after securing the second free throw miss. However, a second overtime was not in the cards for the home team on this night, as Edwards’ step-back, three-point attempt at the buzzer failed to connect.
Falling to 2-1 on the season with their first home loss since Jan. 5, 2011 (Shelton State), the Lions also received 11 points apiece from Mobley and Walker. Bradley, a transfer from Midland College (Texas) by way of Memphis East High School, added a dozen rebounds to record his second double-double of the young season.
Evening their record to 2-2 on the year, the Bears of Baton Rouge were paced by Wright and Washington with 22 and 20 points, respectively. Walker added 18 points for the winners, including seven clutch points during the overtime period.
In the women’s contest, the visiting Lady Bucs scored the game’s first 10 points en route to opening up an early 15-point (22-7) advantage. The Lady Lions managed to cut the deficit to single digits on a couple of occasions late in the first half and trailed by 11 points (32-21) at the halftime break.
Aided by EMCC’s 35 turnovers on the night, Shelton State’s margin stayed at double digits throughout the second stanza en route to moving to 4-0 on the season. Balanced scoring for the visitors had Brianna Lancaster leading the way with a dozen points. Juliser Harper and Katherine Goldsby followed with 11 points apiece.
Freshman Wilma Davis, of West Point, led the 1-3 Lady Lions with 12 points - all in the second half - while Takera Mitchell and Nockeyia Qualls each added 10 points.
Coach Sharon Thompson’s EMCC Lady Lions travel to Perkinston to play in the two-day Gulf Coast Classic prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. After meeting Baton Rouge Community College on Monday (Nov. 19), the EMCC women will take on the host MGCCC Lady Bulldogs on Tuesday. Coach Mark White’s Lions will go two weeks before returning to competition on Tuesday, Nov. 26 by taking on Georgia Highlands College in Rome.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 13 November 2012 )
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SCOOBA – Jarekious Bradley’s game-high 31 points paced the eighth-ranked Lions of East Mississippi Community College to an 89-69 home victory over Meridian Community College Thursday night at EMCC’s Keyes T. Currie Coliseum. In the women’s contest, visiting Meridian claimed a 61-54 win over EMCC’s Lady Lions.
Bradley, a transfer from Midland College in Texas, helped stake the Lions to a 13-1 lead by the 11:38 mark after scoring on a put-back basket followed by a thunderous fast-break dunk. Though not clicking on all cylinders offensively early in the contest, EMCC’s stifling defense created the early advantage. After allowing the Eagles to just five made free throws during the opening 10 minutes of play, Meridian didn’t record its first made field goal until Aubrey Humphrey scored on a driving basket with 9:22 left in the first half.
Bradley’s 16 first-half points helped lift East Mississippi to a comfortable 47-28 halftime advantage. The Lions were never challenged during the second stanza and maintained their sizeable margin throughout the closing period. The 20-point victory marked EMCC’s seventh straight series win over Meridian on the hardwood dating back to the 2009-10 season.
Micah Walker followed Bradley with 14 points, while Brandon’s Trey Brown and Starkville’s Jacolby Mobley added 12 and 11 points, respectively, for the winners. Bradley, a product of Memphis East High School, hit 13-of-19 shots from the field, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, while adding eight rebounds and four blocks.
Falling to 0-3 on the year, Meridian’s lone scorer in double figures was Humphrey with 16 points.
In the women’s game, the Lady Lions could not climb out of an early 11-2 hole four minutes into the contest. Trailing 38-20 at the break, the EMCC women did manage to cut the deficit to six points (55-49) by the 4:40 mark following a 3-pointer and driving basket by Takera Mitchell. However, Meridian’s Reyada Stinner answered with a three-point bucket to thwart any possible EMCC comeback attempt down the stretch.
Mitchell, a freshman from Wayne County, shared EMCC game scoring honors with fellow freshman Savannah Kimmons, of Horn Lake, with 14 points apiece. Kimmons also added a team-high nine rebounds.
Improving to 2-1 on the young season, the MCC Lady Eagles were paced by Gelese Lampton’s game-high 20 points. Stinner followed with 19 points and Kristen Sampson added 13 points for the visitors.
The East Mississippi basketball teams stay at home for their final home action of the 2012 calendar year on Monday (Nov. 12). Head coach Sharon Thompson’s 1-2 EMCC Lady Lions will meet Shelton State Community College, while head coach Mark White’s 2-0 EMCC Lions entertain Baton Rouge Community College. A 5:30 p.m. women’s game will be followed by a 7:30 p.m. men’s contest at EMCC’s Currie Coliseum on the Scooba campus.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 08 November 2012 )
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 EMCC freshman quarterback Quez Johnson has earned Offensive Player of the Week honors on both the national and state levels for the second time in three weeks following his standout performance against Copiah-Lincoln in Saturday’s MACJC State Semifinals. (Photo by John Bowen, www.jucoweekly.org)
In the Lions’ heartbreaking 47-46 home loss to No. 15 Copiah-Lincoln Community College during the MACJC State Semifinals this past Saturday, Johnson accounted for a personal-best 557 yards of total offense and four touchdowns against the Wolfpack. Along with throwing for a career-high 455 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 40-of-57 passing versus Co-Lin, the dual-threat performer also rushed for 102 yards and two more scores on 21 attempts.
Johnson initially earned national and state player of the week laurels following East Mississippi’s 56-49 division-clinching home victory over then-No. 5 Northwest Mississippi Community College on Oct. 18. Against the Rangers, the former Starkville High School product amassed 536 yards of total offense and accounted for seven touchdowns. Johnson threw for 422 yards and four touchdowns on 33-of-46 passing to secure the Lions’ fourth MACJC North Division regular-season football title in five years. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound signal caller also rushed for 114 yards on 21 carries with three more scores on the ground.
For the season, Johnson ranks fourth nationally averaging 284.6 passing yards per game and is tied for fourth among the NJCAA’s statistical leaders with his 27 passing touchdowns. In addition to his 59.3-percent passing accuracy (227-of-383) on the year, he also stands as EMCC’s second-leading rusher behind Rodriguez Moore with 540 rushing yards and a team-high 12 rushing touchdowns on 121 attempts. Johnson, who also was tabbed the MACJC/jucoweekly.org Offensive Player of the Week following EMCC’s 59-6 road win over Southwest Mississippi back on Sept. 13, rushed for 100 or more yards in each of the Lions’ last three games of the year.
Also receiving NJCAA individual honors this week were safety Travis Green of top-ranked Iowa Western Community College and Copiah-Lincoln kick returner/wide receiver Joe Craig Jr., who had an 80-yard touchdown reception to go along with his game-winning, 90-yard kickoff return against the EMCC Lions in earning special teams accolades.
Ranked 16th in this week’s NJCAA Top 20 national poll, head coach Buddy Stephens’ EMCC Lions finished the 2012 season with an 8-2 overall record. After extending their winning streak to 20 consecutive games dating back to last year by beginning the current season unbeaten through eight games, the reigning NJCAA National Champions closed out the 2012 campaign with last-second, one-point setbacks to Itawamba and Copiah-Lincoln.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 07 November 2012 )
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.jpg "Image") EMCC’s Keyes T. Currie Coliseum will be the site of doubleheader basketball action Thursday evening, as the Lions and Lady Lions welcome Meridian Community College to the Scooba campus. A 5:30 p.m. women’s contest will be followed by a 7:30 p.m. men’s game.
As an extra attraction for Thursday’s EMCC-Meridian basketball doubleheader, team and staff members from last year’s East Mississippi men’s squad will be presented their championship rings in recognition of the Lions’ third consecutive NJCAA National Tournament appearance as well as their third straight NJCAA Region 23 Tournament title and MACJC North Division regular-season crown.
Thursday’s hoops action marks the first of only two more basketball home dates for the EMCC teams through the end of the 2012 calendar year. On Monday (Nov. 12), the Lady Lions will welcome Shelton State Community College, while the Lions play host to Baton Rouge Community College at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m., respectively. Monday’s doubleheader will mark EMCC’s final home basketball appearance until the new calendar year. Through the remainder of November and into December, the Lions and Lady Lions are set to play seven and six games, respectively, away from the Scooba campus before returning home to the friendly confines of Currie Coliseum to entertain East Central Community College on Jan. 8, 2013.
After opening the new season with an 84-60 home setback to Georgia Highlands College last Thursday, head coach Sharon Thompson’s EMCC Lady Lions evened their mark at 1-1 on the year with a 50-48 double-overtime triumph over San Jacinto College (Texas) this past Saturday in Baton Rouge, La. In the win over SJC, Quitman’s Dajah McCarty and Savannah Kimmons, of Horn Lake High School, both recorded double-double performances for the Lady Lions. Along with scoring 17 points apiece, McCarty and Kimmons added 15 and 10 rebounds, respectively, in the winning effort.
Ranked eighth nationally in the NJCAA Preseason Top 25, head coach Mark White’s EMCC Lions tipped off their much- anticipated campaign with last Thursday’s 97-57 home triumph over Georgia Highlands. Memphis native Jarekious Bradley paced a quartet of double-digit Lion scorers with 25 points in the opener. The Midland College (Texas) transfer also notched a double-double in his EMCC debut by adding a game-high 13 rebounds.
Former Brandon High School product and Tennessee-Chattanooga transfer Trey Brown followed with 18 points off the bench in the Lions’ opener against GHC. Starkville’s Jacolby Mobley and A.J. Wade, of Northeast Lauderdale, contributed 14 and 12 points, respectively, in EMCC’s 40-point victory to begin the season.
The Meridian Community College basketball teams are both under the guidance of first-year head coaches. Jocelyn McGilberry’s Lady Eagles are 1-1 on the young season after knocking off Bishop State (77-66) in last week’s opener and then falling at Southwest Mississippi (82-63) this past weekend. Cedric Drake’s Eagles are winless in two tries thus far on the year, dropping decisions to Bishop State (62-41) and Southwest Mississippi (91-52).
Live streamed video and audio of Thursday’s EMCC home basketball games against Meridian will be available at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/emcc-basketball and can be accessed through EMCC’s athletics website - http://athletics.eastms.edu. EMCC media director/athletic video coordinator Derek Cody will handle the play-by-play duties for the Lions and Lady Lions during the course of the 2012-13 basketball season.
The EMCC men’s team has prevailed in the last six hardwood meetings against Meridian CC dating back to the 2009-10 season. A season ago, the Lions claimed a 75-65 road win over the Eagles in January and then completed the sweep a month later by earning a 68-64 overtime victory over MCC in Scooba. The Lady Eagles swept the EMCC women last season, winning 59-54 in Meridian and 75-57 in Scooba.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 07 November 2012 )
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SCOOBA – A 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Joe Craig Jr. in the game’s closing seconds lifted 15th-ranked Copiah-Lincoln Community College to a stunning 47-46 road victory over 10th-ranked East Mississippi Community College in Saturday’s semifinals of the MACJC State Football Playoffs held at EMCC’s Sullivan-Windham Field.
The game-deciding play capped a final stretch that saw the lead change three times over the final 2:47 of the contest. After taking their first lead of the game with 2:51 left in the first half, the Lions maintained their advantage until the final three minutes of play. That’s when EMCC’s special teams’ miscues began to turn costly for the reigning state and national champions. Following an EMCC three-and-out possession and the Lions still nursing a precarious 40-35 lead, punter Hayden Lewis was the recipient of a bad snap from center that resulted in the Wolfpack taking over at EMCC’s 22-yard line. On the next play from scrimmage, Co-Lin running back Darius Guy bolted up the middle, over some would-be Lion tacklers and into the end zone. The two-point conversion attempt was intercepted in the end zone to keep the score at 41-40 in favor of the visitors.
With 2:47 remaining on the game clock, the Lions regrouped to put together a 75-yard scoring drive in 10 plays that resulted in freshman quarterback Quez Johnson barreling over the goal line from 10 yards out with just 21.6 ticks left on the clock. EMCC’s two-point conversion try via the air also failed to make it 46-41. On the ensuing kickoff, Co-Lin’s Craig Jr., who opened the game’s scoring with an 80-yard touchdown reception, took Hunter Raines’ kick at the 10-yard line and sped down the right sideline 90 yards to give the Wolfpack the go-ahead score. A third straight two-point conversion attempt on a pass play did not work to account for the final outcome.
The Lions had one last desperation attempt to pull off a miracle finish for themselves following an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the visitors for running onto the field following the dramatic kickoff return. LeDarious Clark’s resulting 35-yard runback gave EMCC one final pass play from Co-Lin’s 40-yard line. However, Johnson’s heave was batted down at the goal line to preserve the win and send the Wolfpack to next Saturday’s MACJC State Championship Game in Perkinston, where they will take on seventh-ranked Mississippi Gulf Coast. The Bulldogs beat No. 9 Northwest Mississippi, 43-17, in Saturday’s other MACJC semifinal-round contest.
The Lions, who knocked off Gulf Coast in Scooba to claim last year’s state football championship, opened defense of their title by engaging in an efficient 16-play drive that ultimately stalled at the 5-yard line. EMCC didn’t get anything out of the drive as Morgan Rhodes’ 22-yard field-goal attempt misfired. Adding insult to injury on the game’s next play from scrimmage, Co-Lin’s Craig Jr. began his assault on the Lions by hauling in Chandler Rogers’ pass over the middle and out-running defenders to pay dirt for an 80-yard scoring play that put the Wolfpack on the scoreboard first at the 9:38 mark.
EMCC struck back quickly on its next play from scrimmage. Johnson found Nick Brassell on a 52-yard pass play that led to an eventual 10-yard scoring aerial from Johnson to Corey Smith with 6:11 left in the first quarter. The game’s lone tie didn’t last long, as Darius Guy’s 38-yard touchdown gallop capped a brief five-play drive that put the visitors back on top 14-7 with 3:39 remaining in the period. Rhodes added a 28-yard field goal within the final minute of the quarter to cut the Lions’ deficit to 14-10.
The Lions shut out Co-Lin during the second quarter, while scoring twice themselves to take the lead for the first time heading into intermission. Frank Richardson’s second interception of the year set up EMCC’s go-ahead score. Following a 28-yard completion from Johnson to Martay Mattox, Johnson subsequently picked up his 11th rushing touchdown of the year from two yards out. Rhodes’ point-after-touchdown try was blocked, but the Lions still had their initial lead of the contest at 16-14. After the EMCC defense forced a three-and-out, Rhodes knocked through a 29-yard field goal as the halftime horn sounded to give the home team the 19-14 advantage.
Coming out of the break, East Mississippi’s defense set up the Lions’ fourth straight unanswered score of the contest. Jason Yarbor returned his fifth interception of the year to Co-Lin’s 14-yard line. A pass interference call paved the way for successive 1-yard bursts by Xavier Hogan that resulted in the first of three 12-point leads EMCC would enjoy during the second stanza.
The Lions’ initial two-score lead of the game would only last just over a minute, as the Wolfpack promptly answered by moving 75 yards on just three plays to cut into the lead. Capping the quick-strike possession was a 52-yard touchdown pass from Rogers to a streaking Darren Anderson down the left sideline. A successful PAT by Co-Lin’s Nolan Long trimmed EMCC’s lead to 26-21 with 10:42 left in the third quarter.
The two teams would trade touchdowns four more times in the contest to set up the late-game scoring frenzy. The Lions rounded out the third-quarter scoring with Johnson’s 10-yard scoring pass to Brassell, giving the home team another 12-point cushion (33-21) at the 7:07 mark.
Brassell, an Ole Miss transfer by way of South Panola High School, finished the day with season-best marks of 12 catches for 185 receiving yards. Johnson, a Starkville High School product, completed 40-of-57 passes for 431 yards and two touchdowns, while adding a team-high 88 rushing yards and two more scores on 22 rushing attempts.
The Lions’ initial possession of the final period was halted at Co-Lin’s 18-yard line. It didn’t take long for the Wolfpack to again pull back to within five points. Rogers promptly hit receiver Casey Gladney on consecutive pass plays of 15 and 67 yards to cut the deficit to 33-28 at the 12:44 mark.
EMCC (8-2) and Co-Lin (8-2) matched touchdowns once again to set the stage for the climactic ending. Rodriguez Moore’s 4-yard scoring run around right end at the 8:45 mark was answered by a 1-yard touchdown toss from Rogers to Christian Keene to make it 40-35 with 5:12 remaining in the thriller.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 03 November 2012 )
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