EMCC Lions to face Pearl River at MACJC State Basketball Tournament in Senatobia

SCOOBA – The fourth-seeded East Mississippi Community College men's basketball team will take on MACJC South Division champion Pearl River Community College at 2 p.m. during Monday's opening round of the MACJC State Basketball Tournament in Senatobia.  The four-day, single-elimination hoops tournament is being played at Howard Coliseum on the campus of Northwest Mississippi Community College.

Monday's EMCC-PRCC men's winner will advance to face the winner of the Holmes-Mississippi Gulf Coast contest during Wednesday's semifinals at 2 p.m.  The evening men's bracket of Monday's opening round pits Copiah-Lincoln against Northeast Mississippi at 5 p.m., followed by host and MACJC North Division champion Northwest Mississippi versus Southwest Mississippi at 7 p.m.  Those winners will meet at 7 p.m. in Wednesday's semis.

Women's first-round play on Tuesday will feature Holmes versus Southwest Mississippi at noon along with MACJC South champion Jones County taking on Itawamba at 2 p.m.  The women's night session has MACJC North champion Northeast Mississippi meeting Hinds at 5 p.m., prior to host Northwest Mississippi entertaining Copiah-Lincoln during the 7 p.m. nightcap.

Wednesday's semifinal-round games will also be played at noon, 2 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., while Thursday's championship contests are slated for 5 p.m. (women's) and 7 p.m. (men's) tip-offs.

Coach Billy Begley's EMCC Lions enter postseason play with a 12-11 overall record and 5-7 division mark after closing out the regular season with Thursday's 89-58 road setback at Holmes.  The Lions secured their state tournament berth by claiming a 62-59 home victory over Itawamba during Monday's Sophomore Night festivities on the Scooba campus.

Freshman guard Cam Horton, from Jacksonville, Alabama, was EMCC's lone double-digit scorer with 20 points at Holmes.  During Monday's home finale against ICC, Starkville's Keith Harris scored a team-high 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field, including 3-of-4 accuracy from beyond the three-point arc.  Terryonte Thomas, a product of New Hope High School, added 14 points for the winners against the Indians.

Coach Sharon Thompson's EMCC Lady Lions concluded the regular season with an 11-10 overall record and 6-6 division mark after dropping their most recent decisions to Itawamba (81-74) and Holmes (80-57) this past week.  As she has done all season, reigning MACJC All-State guard Tyeisha Juhan led the EMCC women with 24 points on Sophomore Night against Itawamba.  The Jonesboro, Georgia native then paced all scorers with 27 points at Holmes this past Thursday night on 11-of-19 shooting from the field, including 4-of-8 from three-point land.  Fellow sophomore guard Kaisah Lucky, from Brooklyn, New York, tallied double figures in both games during the week with 21 points versus ICC and 10 points at Holmes.

The men's and women's tournament fields for the upcoming NJCAA Region 23 Basketball Tournament (March 6-9 in Clinton) will be announced following the conclusion of next week's MACJC State Basketball Tournament.

MACJC STATE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Monday-Thursday (Feb. 26-Mar. 1, 2018)

Senatobia, MS (Northwest Mississippi CC)

Monday – MEN

12 p.m. #2N Holmes vs #3S Gulf Coast

2 p.m. #1S Pearl River vs #4N EMCC   (Wednesday – 2 p.m. Men's winners)

5 p.m. #2S Co‐Lin vs #3N Northeast

7 p.m. #1N Northwest vs #4S Southwest   (Wednesday – 7 p.m. Men's winners)

Tuesday – WOMEN

12 p.m. #2N Holmes vs #3S Southwest

2 p.m. #1S Jones vs #4N Itawamba   (Wednesday – Noon Women's winners)

5 p.m. #1N Northeast vs #4S Hinds

7 p.m. #2S Co‐Lin vs #3N Northwest   (Wednesday – 5 p.m. Women's winners)

Thursday – WOMEN/MEN

5 p.m. Women's Championship Game

7 p.m. Men's Championship Game