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Fresh off three consecutive road sweeps during the past week, the EMCC basketball teams return to campus to play host to Northwest Mississippi on Monday and Northeast Mississippi on Thursday. Tip-off times for both home game dates during the week are set for 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. at Keyes T. Currie Coliseum on the Scooba campus.
In Thursday’s thrilling nightcap, the visitors trailed for most of the contest, including a 37-33 halftime deficit. With the Lions trailing 66-65, EMCC sophomore Jonathan King drew a charge with 22 seconds remaining in the game. On the ensuing possession, EMCC freshman point guard D.J. Evans went one-on-one and missed a short attempt that was corralled by the Lions. Donovan Walker’s offensive put-back attempt was blocked, and Holmes’ Tevin Hammond was fouled with one second left on the game clock.
After missing the first of two attempts from the line, Hammond sank the second free throw to make it a two-point contest and set up Alexander’s last-second heroics. Upon receiving the inbounds pass from Walker, a contested Alexander banked in the winning 3-pointer from the far three-point arc beyond midcourt.
With EMCC, now 16-2 overall and 7-0 in MACJC North Division play, once again benefitting from balanced scoring on the night, Alexander led the way with a game-high 18 points. King followed with 14 points, while Walker and Evans added 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the winners.
Falling to 4-13 overall and 2-4 within the division, Holmes was led by Jeffery Stubbs and Curtis Bailey with 15 points each.
In the women’s contest, head coach Sharon Thompson’s EMCC Lady Lions held on for the narrow two-point win despite surrendering a double-digit advantage in the second half after owning a 30-21 halftime lead. Like the nightcap, the outcome of the opener came down to the final seconds as well. With the visitors still clinging to a two-point lead with six ticks remaining on the game clock, Holmes’ Amber Clay couldn’t get off a shot attempt in the waning moments of the contest.
Owners of a three-game winning streak, the Lady Lions are 10-7 overall on the year and remain in second place in the MACJC North Division standings with a 5-2 league record. Prior to holding on for Thursday’s two-point win over Holmes, the EMCC women had previously dropped three one-point decisions and two others by four and five points on the year.
Sophomore forward Kierra Jones paced East Mississippi in scoring for the third consecutive contest with a career-high 20 points. The Starkville product and former Meridian CC transfer is now averaging 18 points over her last three outings. Fellow sophomore Natalie Tate of Columbus knocked down 16 points, including four 3-pointers, while freshman guard and former Kemper County standout Chadisty Hickman followed with a dozen points for the winners.
The home-standing Lady Bulldogs, now 9-6 overall and 3-3 in division play, received 15 points apiece from Kierra Gilmore and Jacquonna Young.
Following a stretch of three straight road outings over the past six days, the East Mississippi basketball teams return home for a pair of doubleheaders on the Scooba campus next week. EMCC will play host to Northwest Mississippi on Monday prior to welcoming Northeast Mississippi for a Thursday hoops twinbill. Tip-off times for both home dates next week are slated for 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. at EMCC’s Keyes T. Currie Coliseum.