EMCC basketball teams sweep at Coahoma in regular-season finale; Lions prep for MACJC State Tournament at Pearl River

CLARKSDALE – The East Mississippi Community College basketball teams closed out the regular season on a high note by sweeping Coahoma Community College Thursday evening at The Pinnacle.  The Lady Lions cruised to a decisive 66-39 victory over CCC, while the Lions won their sixth straight game with an 83-71 triumph over the Tigers in the nightcap.

In the women's meeting, the visitors broke open a tight contest by scoring 20 unanswered points during the early portion of the second half en route to the 27-point triumph.  After owning a 27-25 edge at the halftime break, EMCC trailed 35-34 early in the second stanza before Leah Isabelle's 3-pointer ignited the game-deciding, 20-0 run.  Finishing the contest with their second-highest game scoring total of the season, the Lady Lions outscored Coahoma 39-14 in the second half.

Concluding the campaign with a 7-16 overall record and 5-7 mark within MACJC North Division play, head coach Sharon Thompson's EMCC Lady Lions had four players score in double figures in their season finale.  Freshman Wilma Davis, of West Point, led the way with 15 points.  Freshman post player Savannah Kimmons, from Horn Lake High School, registered her third double-double of the season with 14 points and 14 rebounds.  Fellow freshmen Takera Mitchell and Isabelle followed with 11 points apiece for the winners.

In the nightcap at Coahoma, EMCC freshman guard Jacolby Mobley's 19 first-half points lifted the visitors to a 42-31 halftime advantage.  Despite Mobley being saddled with his fourth foul one minute into the second half, the Lions maintained their double-digit lead for the first 10 minutes of the closing period.

The home-standing Tigers managed to cut the deficit to four points (64-60) on a Stanley Haywood 3-pointer with nine minutes remaining, but EMCC answered with four straight made free throws divided between sophomores Trey Brown and Earnest Hunter to bump the lead back up to eight points.  Coahoma was able to pull within six points on three different occasions during the final three minutes, but free throws down the stretch sealed the road victory for the Lions.  The double-digit win avenged EMCC's 78-70 home loss to the Tigers last month as well as last year's 68-67 setback at Coahoma to close out the 2011-12 regular season.

While resting their season's leading scorer and No. 3 scorer in Jarekious Bradley and Micah Walker, respectively, for the Coahoma game, the Lions were led in their regular-season finale by Mobley's 19 points – all coming in the opening half because of second-half foul trouble.  Brown followed with 14 points, while freshmen Mack Foster and Nick Giles followed with 13 and 11 points, respectively, for the winners.

Heading into postseason play sporting a six-game winning streak and as four-time reigning MACJC North Division champions, head coach Mark White's 17-6 EMCC Lions (10-2 in MACJC North) will open next week's MACJC State Basketball Tournament by taking on South No. 4 seed Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (16-7, 7-5) Tuesday afternoon (3 p.m.) at Pearl River Community College in Poplarville.

Women's action at the MACJC State Basketball Tournament tips off Monday with first-round games at Pearl River CC.  The semifinals and finals of the men's and women's brackets will be contested Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, at Shiver's Gym on the PRCC campus.  

All of EMCC's basketball games at next week's state tournament are slated to be video-streamed live on the school's Ustream channel at www.ustream.tv/channel/emcc-basketball, which can be easily accessed through the school's athletics website, www.EMCCAthletics.com.  EMCC media director/athletic video coordinator Derek Cody will be on hand to describe all of the play-by-play action throughout the basketball postseason.