Six double-figure scorers pace No. 25 EMCC Lions to 94-50 win over Piney Woods
With six players scoring in double figures, the 25th-ranked Lions of East Mississippi Community College remained undefeated through seven games by posting a commanding 94-50 home win over the Piney Woods School post-grad team during Monday’s men’s basketball action played at EMCC’s Keyes T. Currie Coliseum.
SCOOBA – With six players scoring in double figures, the 25th-ranked Lions of East Mississippi Community College remained undefeated through seven games by posting a commanding 94-50 home win over the Piney Woods School post-grad team during Monday's men's basketball action played at EMCC's Keyes T. Currie Coliseum.
EMCC's current season-opening, seven-game win streak matches the program's best mark to begin a season since eighth-year head coach Billy Begley's first year (2015-16) at the Lions' helm when the team went on to earn a berth in the 2016 NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament played in Hutchinson, Kansas.
After scoring the game's first five points against Piney Woods, the Lions took a double-digit lead (18-8) on Kevin Henry's three-point play at the 12:35 mark. The sophomore guard out of Center Hill High School later extended the margin to 20+ points (37-16) with a pair of free throws at the 3:40 mark and then knocked down a three-pointer just before intermission to give EMCC a 30-point cushion (50-20) by the halftime break.
The Lions' domination over the visiting Tornadoes continued into the second stanza. On his way to scoring a season-high 18 points, freshman guard Andrew Mason scored the first eight points of the half on a pair of treys and a follow-up basket to extend the margin to 38 points (58-20). A few minutes later in the midst of a three-point display by EMCC freshman point guard Tremaine Dixon Jr., Jacob Reese's basket put the home team up by 41 points (63-22).
Freshman Ashten Michael's three-pointer eight minutes into the second half made it a 50-point contest (74-24). The Lions' largest lead of the game (84-33) came shortly thereafter on Jorden Edwards' driving layup.
Mason added six rebounds and five assists to his game-high, 18-point effort. The Kentucky native was followed by Tremaine Dixon Jr.'s 16 points on 4-of-7 three-point shooting. Reese, DJ Avery and Christian Noel all added a dozen points apiece, while Henry finished with 11 points for the winners.
Cristian Willis was Piney Woods' lone double-digit scorer with 10 points.
The 7-0 EMCC Lions are slated to conclude the pre-conference portion of their schedule with three road games in December prior to the team's semester break for the Christmas and New Year's holidays. After playing Hinds in Utica on Monday (Dec. 5), the Lions will then travel to Jones College (Dec. 8) and Shelton State (Dec. 12) for their final hardwood action of the 2022 calendar year.
