EMCC Lions to close out calendar year by competing in Fiesta Bowl hoops tourney in Arizona

SCOOBA – The Lions of East Mississippi Community College will conclude the 2012 calendar year portion of their basketball schedule by competing in the prestigious Fiesta Bowl Junior College Shootout this weekend in Mesa, Ariz.  The three-day, eight-team hoops tournament will tip off Friday at Theo Heap Gym located on the Mesa Community College campus.

Coach Mark White's 5-2 EMCC Lions will begin the fourth annual tournament by taking on 18th-ranked Central Arizona College (10-1) in Game 2 Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. MT (5 p.m. CT).  The winner of the EMCC-CAC contest will meet the winner of the first-round game pitting No. 2 and unbeaten (11-0) Howard College (TX) and Salt Lake (UT) Community College (10-2) in Game 7 to take place Saturday evening at 8 p.m. MT (9 p.m. CT).  The losers of the first-round matchups between EMCC and Central Arizona as well as Howard College and Salt Lake CC will face each other in Friday's consolation action beginning at 2 p.m. MT (3 p.m. CT).

The other side of the competitive tournament bracket will feature home-standing Mesa Community College (9-2), along with USU-Eastern Utah (9-4), Williston (ND) State College (11-3) and San Bernardino Valley (CA) College (6-4).  The championship game of the 2012 Fiesta Bowl Junior College Shootout will be held Sunday evening at 8 p.m. MT (9 p.m. CT), following the tournament's seventh-place contest (2 p.m. MT), consolation title game (4 p.m. MT) and third-place matchup (6 p.m. MT).

With a composite season win-loss record of 72-18 between the eight competing teams, three-fourths of this year's tournament field - host Mesa, EMCC, Howard College, Central Arizona, Salt Lake and Williston State – have been ranked nationally at some point during the current campaign.

Fans will be able to follow the exciting action of the three-day junior college basketball tournament through Mesa Community College's athletics website at http://athletics.mesacc.edu/mens-basketball/fiesta-bowl-junior-college-shootout-details.  Links to available online video/audio-streamed broadcasts during the 12-game tournament will be featured on the website.  Live in-game statistics and post-game final box scores are also scheduled to be made available online through Mesa's athletics website.

With EMCC media director/athletic video coordinator Derek Cody set to handle the play-by-play broadcasts of the Lions' daily tournament action from Arizona, East Mississippi Community College's three tourney games are slated to be video-streamed live at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/emcc-basketball.

Looking to bounce back from their 70-62 road setback to Baton Rouge Community College back on Dec. 10, the 5-2 EMCC Lions are led by sophomore forward Jarekious Bradley, who continues to rank as the NJCAA's scoring leader at 24.9 points per game.  The Midland College transfer by way of Memphis East High School also ranks 14^th nationally with an average of 10.0 rebounds per contest.

EMCC freshman guard Jacolby Mobley, of Starkville, and sophomore forward Micah Walker (Jonesboro, Ark.) also average in double figures for the Lions at 15.5 and 11.3 points an outing, respectively, on the season.

Fiesta Bowl Junior College Shootout 

Hosted by Mesa Community College

Friday-Sunday, December 28-30, 2012 

Theo J. Heap Gymnasium - Mesa, Ariz. 

Friday, Dec. 28
2:00 p.m. - Salt Lake (10-2) vs. Howard (11-0) - GAME 1 
4:00 p.m. - East Mississippi (5-2) vs. Central Arizona (10-1) - GAME 2 
6:00 p.m. - Mesa (9-2) vs. USU Eastern Utah (9-4) - GAME 3 
8:00 p.m. - San Bernardino Valley (7-4) vs. Williston State (11-3) - GAME 4 

Saturday, Dec. 29 
2:00 p.m. - Loser GAME 1 vs. Loser GAME 2 - GAME 5 
4:00 p.m. - Loser GAME 3 vs. Loser GAME 4 - GAME 6 
6:00 p.m. - Winner GAME 3 vs. Winner GAME 4 - GAME 7 
8:00 p.m. - Winner GAME 1 vs. Winner GAME 2 - GAME 8 

Sunday, Dec. 30 
2:00 p.m. - Loser GAME 5 vs. Loser GAME 6 - 7th place Game 
4:00 p.m. - Winner GAME 5 vs. Winner GAME 6 - Consolation Championship
6:00 p.m. - Loser GAME 7 vs. Loser GAME 8 - 3rd Place Game 
8:00 p.m. - Winner GAME 7 vs. Winner GAME 8 – Tournament Championship

Note: All Times MT