EMCC’s Butler earns first coaching victory with 46-43 home win over Coahoma in women’s hoops
Sadie Williams’ game-winning three-pointer with 5.7 seconds left gave first-year East Mississippi Community College head women’s basketball coach Isaiah Butler his first head coaching victory, as the Lady Lions claimed a 46-43 home win over Coahoma during Thursday night’s action played at Keyes T. Currie Coliseum.
SCOOBA – Sadie Williams' game-winning three-pointer with 5.7 seconds left gave first-year East Mississippi Community College head women's basketball coach Isaiah Butler his first head coaching victory, as the Lady Lions claimed a 46-43 home win over Coahoma during Thursday night's action played at Keyes T. Currie Coliseum.
The initial win came against Butler's former head coach (Stephanie Murphy) at Coahoma, where they coached together on staff during the previous four seasons to help turn around the Lady Tigers' basketball program.
In the first meeting as head coaches between the two good friends, the contest stayed to within a five-point margin throughout the game as well as having featured 11 lead changes and eight ties. Following an 11-11 deadlock at the end of the opening 10 minutes of play, Coahoma opened a 20-15 lead before EMCC's Sukkima Suell converted a three-point play late in the half to cut the deficit to two points (20-18) by the half.
Following the break, EMCC began the second stanza outscoring the visitors, 11-4, to reverse the five-point margin to 29-24 in favor the home team on Sadie Williams' three-point play midway through the half. The Lady Lions narrowly held onto the lead during most of the quarter and carried a one-point edge (32-31) into the fourth quarter.
After three more lead changes to open the final quarter, the visitors scored six unanswered points to go back up by five points (39-34). EMCC quickly responded with five straight points to knot the score at 39-39 with 4:10 left in the game.
The eighth deadlock of the hard-fought contest came inside of one minute on the game clock when Suell scored inside to tie it at 43-43. The Starkville product then knocked away an inside pass attempt on the defensive end and gathered an errant EMCC trey attempt that led to Sadie Williams' eventual game-winner.
In the nearly six seconds that ensued, Coahoma was called for an illegal pick and Suell missed a pair of free throws that would have sealed the win. The Lady Tigers then made the most of the 3.8 seconds they had remaining to get the ball up the court, but Tiara Abron double-pumped on the potential deep game-tying trey attempt that misfired.
The 1-1 EMCC Lady Lions were led by Gabby Collier's 12 points on a trio of three-pointers. Suell approached a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds, while Kennedi Jimison followed with eight points.
Coahoma was led by Tiara Abron and Elishia Wilson with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
The EMCC women's team returns to action on Thursday (Nov. 17) at East Central before closing out the month participating at Mississippi Gulf Coast's Bulldog Thanksgiving Classic, Nov. 21-22, in Perkinston. The Lady Lions are scheduled to take on host MGCCC and Northeast Mississippi during tourney play.
