Lady Warriors extend winning streak
By By Marty Stamper / EMG sports assistant
Feb. 6, 2004
DECATUR The 17th-ranked Lady Warriors of East Central Community College led by as many as 27 points in the squad's whipping of Southwest Mississippi Community College 81-63 in the Brackeen-Wood Physical Education Building Thursday night.
The victory extended the Lady Warriors' win streak to 12 and snapped Southwest's modest three-game win streak.
The Lady Warriors went to the free-throw line 46 times and made 33, while Southwest was 10-of-18 from the charity stripe.
The Lady Warriors scored the game's first six points and led 15-3 just over six minutes into the contest after back-to-back baskets by Lenore Gray. ECCC led 35-23 going into halftime. Twelve of the 13 ECCC players scored.
Gray, a sophomore from Newton, led ECCC with 23 points. Monique Overstreet scored nine, while Kristin Chaney, Kotreece Bender, and Rita Birden each had eight.
ECCC improved to 19-2 overall and stayed on top of the MACJC South Division standings with a 9-1 league mark.
Southwest (8-12, 5-5) got 15 points from Dawanna Addison, 13 from Natasha Funchess, and 12 from Christin Bradford.
Southwest (men) 89
East Central 64
The Warriors saw their faint hopes for postseason play grow dimmer as each minute ticked off the second half clock.
ECCC (8-12 overall, 3-7 division) grabbed an early 14-8 lead. After three ties, the visiting Bears took the lead for good on a basket by Nic Gamble with four minutes left in the first half.
Gamble's basket began a 9-0 run as Southwest carried a 30-24 lead into halftime.
ECCC closed to within 35-34 on a 3-pointer from Al Willis, but the Bears used another 9-0 run to go up 48-36 with 13:38 remaining.
The Warriors got to within eight points at 56-48 with 9:36 to go before the Bears pulled out to as much as the final 25-point differential.
ECCC got 13 points from Jamaal Martin, 12 from Desmond Jones, nine from Willis, eight from Neil Tadlock, and five each from Tellas Burnside, Tawon Walker, and Stephen Dyess.
Southwest (8-12, 5-5) got 19 points from Gamble, 18 from Torry Crumedy, 13 from D.J. Jones, 12 from B.J. Griffith, 11 from Toby Coleman, and nine from Chris Watson.