EMCC basketball teams avenge earlier road losses by sweeping Mississippi Delta in Scooba

SCOOBA – The East Mississippi Community College basketball teams avenged last month's sweep in Moorhead by turning the tables on the visiting Mississippi Delta squads during Thursday's MACJC North Division action at EMCC's Keyes T. Currie Coliseum.  The Lady Lions got things started with a 77-67 victory over the Delta women, while the EMCC men rolled to an easy 86-45 win over the Trojans.

With their lone division loss to date coming at Delta on Jan. 13 and entering Thursday's rematch tied with the Lady Trojans for second place in the division standings, the EMCC women scored the first 11 points of the game.  The visitors answered with eight straight points and eventually grabbed a temporary lead with seven minutes remaining in the half.  Following four deadlocks over the final six minutes, EMCC owned a 34-33 edge at the break.

Still clinging to a four-point lead (50-46) at the 12:47 mark of the second stanza, the Lady Lions mounted a 9-3 run over the next three minutes to push the margin to double digits (59-49) midway through the closing period.  The Delta women would not get any closer than eight points the rest of the way, as EMCC ran its division win streak to six consecutive games with the 10-point outcome.

Improving to 12-7 overall and 7-1 within the division to keep pace with 8-1 Itawamba atop the standings, head coach Sharon Thompson's EMCC Lady Lions were led by Wilma Davis' game-high 18 points.  The West Point native hit all four of her second-half field goals, including a trio of 3-pointers, to give the home team a needed second-half lift offensively.  Down the stretch, EMCC worked the ball inside to post player Savannah Kimmons, who scored nine of her 16 points over the game's last nine minutes.  The former Horn Lake High School product registered her first double-double of the season and fourth of her collegiate career by adding a dozen rebounds.

Dropping to 11-7 overall and 6-2 in division play, the Lady Trojans were paced by Krystal Nailer and Aqueshia Kimble with 16 and 14 points, respectively.

In the nightcap, the home-standing Lions were also seeking to avenge their narrow 76-74 setback a month ago at Delta.  With Avery Woodson providing the early momentum with consecutive 3-pointers to begin the scoring, EMCC led 17-3 by the 14:45 mark.  The margin increased to 20 points (34-14) seven minutes later on the way to a 47-21 halftime cushion for the home team.

The Lions continued to play with the sizeable lead throughout the second stanza en route to claiming their fifth consecutive victory with the 41-point final.  Coach Mark White's four-time reigning NJCAA Region 23 and MACJC North Division champions improved to 14-4 overall and 5-2 within the division.

Woodson, a University of Memphis signee from Wayne County, finished with a game-high 25 points for his eighth 20-point outing of the season.  Former McDonald's All-American Devonta Pollard, from Kemper County, recorded his third double-double of the campaign with 16 points and 10 rebounds.  Starkville's Jacolby Mobley, a University of Chattanooga signee, added 14 points to the winning effort.

Falling to 8-11 overall and 2-6 within the division, the Delta men were led by Kel'Drek Young and Marquarius Boddie with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The East Mississippi basketball teams next travel to Booneville to meet Northeast Mississippi Community College for a Monday doubleheader before returning home to play host to rival Itawamba in a Thursday twinbill (Feb. 13) on the Scooba campus.  In a crucial doubleheader which could go a long way in deciding the eventual MACJC North Division winners, Thursday's action is slated to tip off with a 5:30 p.m. women's game followed by a 7:30 p.m. men's contest at EMCC's Currie Coliseum.