Eagles rally to victory

By By Marty Stamper / EMG sports assistant
Jan. 16, 2004
DECATUR Meridian Community College rallied from a 19-point second half deficit to defeat East Central Community College 100-94 in MACJC South Division men's basketball action Thursday.
Up 45-37 at halftime, the homestanding Warriors got three-point baskets from Jamaal Martin and Al Willis and a three-point play from Martin to grab a 56-39 lead with 17:50 left in the battle of division cellar-dwellers.
ECCC took its biggest lead of the night at 67-48 on a lob pass to Neil Tadlock with 12:14 to go.
Rodney Hampton sparked an Eagle comeback with a pair of three-pointers in a 44-second span as MCC closed to within 69-60 with 10:36 remaining.
Jamall Edmondson and Hampton both hit a trey as MCC rallied to within 72-66 with 9:42 left.
Hampton tied the game at 73 with three free throws with 7:57 showing.
Hampton and Edmondson both added another 3-ball as MCC took an 87-79 lead with 5:08 to go.
Edmondson made 5-of-8 free throws over the last 62 seconds and stuck back his own missed freebie with five seconds left to seal the win.
Hampton finished with four treys and 15 points.
Edmondson had five treys and a game-high 32 points.
The Eagles also got 18 points from Winfield, 10 from Powers and eight from Mecose Todd as they improved to 1-3 in the division and 10-4 overall.
Eight turnovers over the final 10:12 added to the Warriors' collapse as they fell to 0-4 in the division and 5-8 overall.
Martin led ECCC with 24 points. Willis scored 15, Desmond Jones had 14, Stephen Dyess 12, and Dewayne Hughes 10.
ECCC (women) 78
MCC 60
The Lady Warriors continued their dominance of MCC in the women's contest as they jumped out to an 8-0 lead and led by as many as 11 points before taking a 38-29 advantage into halftime behind 13 points from Lenore Gray and eight from Rita Birden.
MCC battled back to within 43-40 with just over 17 minutes left, thanks to a 10-2 run with Chelse' Alford getting all 10 Lady Eagle points.
ECCC scored 16 of the next 23 points to grab a 59-47 advantage with 11:13 left. A 3-pointer from Roxana Rogers gave the Lady Warriors the 12-point bulge.
MCC closed to within 59-52 on a pair of Alford free throws with 8:56 remaining, but ECCC reeled off 19 of the last 27 points to improve to 3-1 in the division and 12-2 overall.
Gray led ECCC with 21 points. Birden scored 16, Kimyatta Viverette and Ebone'e Leverette both had nine, and Kristen Chaney and Kotreece Bender both had seven.
MCC (1-3 in the division, 10-5 overall) got 29 points from Alford, 14 from Danielle Cooper, and nine from Karmethia Mazique.