2003

Warriors claim win over MC By Marty Stamper EMG sports assistant EAST CENTRAL vs. MCC

Bobbitt. With Edmonson out for the remainder of th game w1th an ankle injury, th_e. Eagles turned to big man Kenny Boyd inside and he reeled olf six straight points as MCC got to within 64·61 with 15:43 showing. A 3-pointer fromTavares Childs tied the game al 69-69. 1be struggle was deadlocked four more tinws before Crenshaw gave ECCC U1e lead ior good ttl 94- 92 with 2:42 remaining. Hornsby addl·d a frt'e throw, then canned a mid-range jumper with three sec onds on the shot clock and 59 left in the game w put the Warriors up 97-92. ECCC hit 7-of-10 free throws over the final minute to seal its second win over lhe Eagles this year. "We both shot it real well in 'the tlrst h11lf," Smith said. "It was just a question ol who madt• lh(' ~hots down the s tretch and fortunatl'iy we had enough of a lead when it became a free·throw coutesl. We See Warriors Page 83

DECATUR- ll's a shame ESPN doesn't show junior college basketball games as Monday's Meridian-East Central men's contest would have been in the running for an Instant Classic. · Both teams entered the game tied for fourth place in the MACJC South Division standings and only tht• top four teams advance to the postseason. ECCC took the win 104-97 in a battle that had nine tics in the first half before the Warriors used a late 8-0 run to carry a 54-47lead into halftime. Six of the eight points came on 3-pointers from Jamaal Martin. "It's a big win," ECCC head coach Bill Smith said. ''That gives us a little advantage in the tiebreaker if we happened to .end up tied with them. Plus, it's just a big game with us and Meridian. I think both teams came out and played very, very hard both halves. ·• "I can't be mad at my team about anything," MCC coach George Brooks said. "I'm proud of their effort. To come in here short-handed and there

were several times our guys could have quit fighting, but they fought to the end. ''(ECCC) did a tremendous job. That's why they won." Trifcctas were nothing new to MCC either as Jamal Edmonson hit his first eight long-range bombs in the first half. Of the 17 combined treys in the first 20 minutes, MCC had nine and ECCC eight "Edmonson put on a mighty big show for us in the first half," Smith said. "He probably shot as good as anybody I've ever seen in the fi rst half." MCC finished with 18. 3-pointers, while ECCC had nine. Edmonson's 26 points clearly led the Eagles in the first half, but the Warriors had a balanced attack with Martin, Corey Hornsby, and Donze! Crenshaw each with nine points, Desmond Jones with e ight, and Brandon Mason with seven. ECCC went up by 11 at 60-49 with 18:19 to go on consecutive steals and layups by I lornsby and Kevin The LadyWarnors used two hot starts to each half in beating MCC for the second time this season. ECCC scored 14 of the.game's first 15 points with Patsy McKee connecting twice from 3-point range. 1be Lady Warriors had their lead cut to five (29-24) on a free throw by Chelse Alford with 2:18 to go in the half, but a ba~ket by Lenore Gray and a 3-pointer from Tamekia Foley sent the Lady War– riors into the break with a 34-26 advan– tage. ECCC then opened the second half with a 14-4 run to remove nearly all of the sus– pense. Foley and Ebone'e Levere tte both had six points during the run. '1bat's 28 to 5," ECCC head coach Brad Hodge said of the first 4:32 of the first half and the first six minutes of the second half. "We were ver y fortunate they started out slow. As long as Monique Horner is out

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there. you've got to b<~ on your toes, but we'll take it. It's a good win. kOur girls played real solid basketball, especially defensively. Any time you hold that group under 60, you've done a good job." rhe Lady Warriors led by as many as 25 (56-31) before closing with the 18-point victory. Foley led ECCC (13-8, 7-4) with 23 points. LeH~rettc, ~1cKee, Gray, and Britney Burks each added eight. ''Tamekia has done a good job of step– ping up and being a leader the last four or five games," Hodge said. "We challenged her and she responded.'' MCC (13-8, l-7) got 16 points from Horner, who was held to just three in the second half. Alford had 10 and Silvo Harris tossed in nine.

made our free throws and got some crucial rebounds inside the final minute." Hornsby led ECCC (12-9, &-5) with 29 points. Crenshaw scored 16, Jones had 14, Mason and Demario Qualls both had 11. Martin added nine, and Bobbitt finished with e ight. MCC (10-11, 5-6) got 26 points from Edmonson, 21 from Boyd, 15 from Quadrick Griffin, 10 each from Childs and ].R. Willis, and nine from Jamaine Win– field. "Jamal sprained his ankle pretty bad in the first half and he tried to go back and battle, but that'~ part of the game.'' Brooks said. "You have to absorb injuries and keep coming."

ECCC women

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MCC