| Three-point barrage lifts EMCC to 103-70 state tourney win over Jones; White earns 100th win |
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FULTON – The 10th-ranked Lions of East Mississippi Community College drilled 17 three-point field goals en route to cruising to a convincing 103-70 victory over Jones County in Monday’s first-round men’s action of the 2012 MACJC State Basketball Tournament being played at the Davis Event Center on the campus of Itawamba Community College. The 33-point triumph marked EMCC’s 20th win of the season and gave fifth-year head coach Mark White his 100th career victory with the Lions.
The top-seeded EMCC Lions, 20-3 overall and MACJC North Division regular-season champions for the third straight year, advance to take on the South Division’s second-seeded Wildcats of Pearl River Community College in Wednesday’s tournament semifinals. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. on the ICC campus. Pearl River, who bested Northwest Mississippi CC, 75-59, in Monday’s opening round, has knocked out EMCC from state tournament championship contention each of the last two years. Last season in Wesson, the Wildcats claimed 61-52 semifinal-round win over the Lions. Two years ago in Scooba, PRCC posted a 61-58 road victory over home-standing East Mississippi in the 2010 state championship contest. Against Jones County, the Lions forced early turnovers and tallied 11 unanswered points on the offensive end to jump to a double-digit lead (15-4) eight minutes into the contest. Following a put-back basket by JCJC’s Courtney Mack, EMCC went on a 13-0 run to mount a 22-point margin (28-6) with eight minutes left in the half. The cushion ballooned to 31 points (39-8) with just over four minutes remaining until intermission following another 11-0 EMCC spurt. The Lions’ insurmountable advantage stood at 51-15 at the halftime break, as they connected on 7-of-12 three-point shots through the opening 20 minutes of play. Much of the same continued following the break, as EMCC’s bulge reached 40 points (55-15) 1:18 into the second stanza on a 3-pointer by sophomore playmaker D.J. Evans. Still red-hot from the perimeter with 10-of-15 accuracy from beyond the arc after halftime, the Lions’ lead reached a game-high 47 points (66-19) four minutes into the half before the two-time defending NJCAA Region 23 champions settled for the 33-point final outcome. Evans, a former All-Jackson Metro selection out of Brandon, keyed EMCC’s scoring outburst and shooting exhibition by scoring a game-high 25 points on 5-of-6 three-point shooting. Sophomore swingman Deon Bedford, out of West Oktibbeha County High School, recorded his second double-double of the year with 16 points and 10 rebounds, including 10-of-10 perfection from the line and seven offensive boards. Slowed by first-half foul trouble, sophomore transfer Colin Borchert tallied all 16 of his points in the second half, while sophomore sharpshooter Dione Milsap accounted for his dozen points on 4-of-7 three-point shooting. Falling to 12-12 on the season, the Jones County Bobcats were led by Donta Pittman and Tim Allen with 12 points apiece. Felton Collins added 10 points for JCJC. |
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| Last Updated ( Monday, 27 February 2012 ) |
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