2003

Area juco teams are in thick of the race BATTLING FOR THE • ~ -m PLAYOFFS - ECCC's

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"It's a different person stepp1ng up every night and leading the charge w1lh the otl1er people following suit. That's what you've got to 11ave to have a chance." However, the Lady Warriors are just two losses from likely dropping out of the top four spots and will have four of their final seven games on the road including dates at Pearl River (tonight), Southwest Mississippi, and Mississippi Gulf Coast. The Lady Warriors are 11 -6 overall. The ECCC men are also currently in the top four in the South half as their 4-3 mark is good for a tie for third place. The Warriors have a 10-7 overall mark. Meridian, making its return to the MACJC since pulling out in the mid-1980s, is tied for fifth place in the men's South Division standings and in sixth place in the women's league. Like ECCC, the MCC teams also have four of their last seven division games on the road as they will travel to Co-Lin, ECCC, Gulf Coast, and Southwest. The East Mississippi women are battling for one of the top four spots in the North Division as their 3-3 mark is good for a four-way tie for third place behind Delta and Northwest Mississippi. The Lady Lions are 8-1 1 overall. The EMCC Lions, however, are facing an uphill battle as they are tied for sixth place with just one league win thus far. The Lions are 3- 16 overall. The Jones Bobcats are tied with East Central for third place in the South half men's standings with ECCC owning the tie-breaker. The Lady Bobcats are down to eight players for the second semester and are in seventh place with just one league victory. The Jones men have a 10-7 overall record, while the Lady Bobcats are 3-14. Pearl River and Southwest are tied for the South men's lead at 5-2, while ltawamba and Holmes share the top spot in the North half at 5- ) 1. Pearl River and ltawamba hold 111o t1e breakers. I' J ) l The Lady Eagles are 12-6 overall, while the Eagles are 8-9.

Tamekia Foley tries to block the path of MCC's Monique Horner during an earlier game this season . Photo by Carisa McCain/The Meridian Star By Marty Stamper I EMG sports assistant Jan. 30,2003

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At the midway point of the 2002-03 basketball season,

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most area junior college teams are still in the thick of the battle to secure berths in the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges state tournament, Feb. 24-27, at the site of the South Division women's regular season champion.

The top four men's and women's teams from each division will advance to the state tournament.

Barring a total collapse, Copiah-Lincoln seems likely to host the state tournament as the Lady Wolves are 7-0 in the league and 18-0 overall. In division games, the Lady Wolves have outscored their opponents by an average of 24.4 points with the closest contest being an 11-point (71 -60) victory over Pearl River. The Co-Lin women, ranked fourth nationally, are already 3-0 against North Division leader Mississippi Delta. The Lady Trojans, however, have given Co-Lin its closest game of the year before losing 62-56. Only one other game has been decided by less than 11 points. Co-Lin currently holds a two-game lead over East Central. The Lady Wolves led the Lady Warriors 72-36 with 11 minutes left at Wesson before taking an 89-71 win. East Central's Lady Warriors are in second place in the South Division at 5-2 following Monday's 96-82 win over Gulf Coast. "That puts us in second to start the second half of the division," ECCC head coach Brad Hodge said. "That's a great position to be 1n We played another balanced game. It was a very good team effort with five people again in double figures.

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