The East Central Community College basketball teams kept their early season records unblemished with a pair of victories over visiting East Mississippi Community College in games played Thursday, Nov. 8, in Brackeen-Wood Gym on the campus in Decatur.
The ECCC Lady Warriors picked up a 64-55 win over the Lady Lions in the opener, and the Warriors followed with a hard-fought 73-66 win over the EMCC Lions in the second game.
Both East Central teams improved to 2-0 on the young season, while the EMCC Lady Lions fell to 1-2 and the Lions to 2-1.
The Lady Warriors led the entire contest against East Mississippi, taking a 40-27 lead into the locker room at halftime and extending that lead to 16 points after three periods. A late run in the final period by the Lady Lions moved the final score to 64-55.
For the second straight game, sophomore forward Sharan Turner (Gonzales, La., East Ascension) came up big for the Lady Warriors with 11 points and 11 rebounds on the night. Freshman guard Jariyah Covington out of Starkville High School also scored 11 points. Freshman forward Jamaica Almons (Jackson Murrah) came off the bench to have a solid outing with six points, seven boards, and three steals.
East Central pulled down 33 rebounds as a team to just 23 for the Lady Lions.
The men's contest was tight throughout with 17 lead changes during the game, including 11 in the second half before the Warriors were able to pull away for the seven-point win. The two teams were tied 13 times. The Warriors had a productive night at the free throw line hitting 22 of 26 attempts.
Sophomore guard Roti Ware had a big night for the Warriors. The Morton product scored 23 points to lead all scorers. He also had six rebounds. Freshman guards Nick Preyer (Mobile, Ala., Leflore) and Devin Carter of Pearl added 16 and 12 points, respectively. Preyer also had six assists and a pair of steals, while Carter was credited with four assists. Freshman forward Dontavious Smith of Terry led the Warriors with seven rebounds.
The Lady Warriors and Warriors will host Bishop State Community College from Mobile, Ala., Monday, Nov. 12, in Brackeen-Wood Gym in Decatur. The women will play at 5:30 p.m. and the men at 7:30 p.m.
The East Central teams will then host the EC Classic Nov. 19-20. Other women's teams participating include Coahoma, Meridian, and Southern University-Shreveport. Other men's teams will include Coahoma, Mississippi Delta, and Pearl River. The Lady Warriors will face Southern University-Shreveport at 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 19, and then Coahoma at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 20. The Warriors will play Mississippi Delta at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 19, and Coahoma at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 20.
All ECCC home basketball games this season can be heard on WKOZ Cruisin 98.3, or watched via live stream video at www.eccc.edu/eccc-media.
A complete schedule of games can be found at www.ecccathletics.com.