EMCC basketball teams open new season with convincing home wins

SCOOBA – The East Mississippi Community College basketball teams successfully opened the new campaign by sweeping their opponents by a combined margin of 75 points Monday night at EMCC's Keyes T. Currie Coliseum.  The Lady Lions never trailed in breezing to a 71-33 win over Talladega College's junior varsity team, while the Lions claimed a convincing 98-61 nightcap victory over Tennessee Preparatory Academy in Billy Begley's EMCC head coaching debut.

In the women's contest, head coach Sharon Thompson's EMCC Lady Lions scored the game's first eight points and opened a 20-point lead by the opening minutes of the second quarter.  A 36-9 halftime advantage evolved into a 30-point margin with the opening bucket of the fourth quarter and then grew to as many as 42 points late in the contest.

EMCC freshman Quantesha Patterson led all scorers with 22 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the field in her collegiate debut.  The former prep standout from reigning Class 2A state champion East Webster High School also added six steals, five rebounds and a pair of blocks.       

Transfer guard Jessica Wilbourn added 10 points off the EMCC bench on 4-of-5 shooting, while fellow transfer backcourt performer Tianna Germain followed with nine points for the winners.

The visiting Lady Tornadoes of Talladega College's JV team were led by Taylor Terry's 12 points.

In the nightcap, Begley's EMCC Lions trailed twice during the opening five minutes of play but managed to lead by a dozen points (40-28) heading into intermission on Montrael Nabors' buzzer-beating basket.

After Tennessee Prep scored the opening bucket of the second half, the Lions tallied nine unanswered points to grab a 49-30 lead by the 17:31 mark.  The visitors cut the deficit to 15 points (61-46) with 12 minutes remaining, but EMCC went on a 15-1 run midway through the half to essentially seal the victory.

Sophomore guard Daniel Simmons led the charge for the home-standing Lions by scoring 19 of his game-high 21 points in the second half.  The Biggersville product connected on 7-of-10 shots following the break, including four made 3-pointers.

West Point's Juan Davis Jr. and James Jordan, a Raymond High School product, added 14 points apiece to the winning effort, while Boston College transfer Nat Dixon followed with a dozen points.

Tennessee Prep's lone scorer in double digits was Isaiah Boissard with 12 points.

The East Mississippi basketball teams continue action this week by heading to rival Meridian Community College for a Thursday twin-bill.  A 5:30 p.m. women's game will be followed by a 7:30 p.m. men's contest at MCC's Graham Gymnasium.