MACJC tourney set for Monday

By Staff
from staff reports
February 22, 2004
Action in the MACJC State Tournament gets under way Monday in Booneville at Northeast Mississippi Community College's Bonner Arnold Coliseum with four men's games.
At 1 p.m., Jones (20-4) faces Mississippi Delta (10-13). At 3 p.m., Holmes (17-7) takes on Pearl River (16-8). Northwest Mississippi (23-2) plays Gulf Coast (11-14) at 6 p.m. with Itawamba meeting Hinds at 8 p.m.
The women hit the court Tuesday with East Central (23-2) taking on Itawamba (13-12) at 1 p.m. followed by Gulf Coast (19-6) and Northwest (17-6) at 3 p.m. At 6 p.m., Northeast (19-2) squares off with Jones (12-12), while Copiah-Lincoln (16-7) and Delta (16-8) meet at 8 p.m.
Men's and women's semifinals are slated for Wednesday. The finals are set for Thursday at 6 and 8 p.m.
The Co-Lin women and Holmes men are the defending champions.
Marty Stamper
MCC preranked No. 5
The first regular-season NJCAA baseball poll has yet to be released, but Meridian is preseason ranked No. 5 in the country after a fifth place finish in the Junior College World Series last spring.
Southern Nevada is preseason No. 1 after capturing the national championship and posting a 55-10 record. Other notable teams in the poll include: Connors State at No. 10, Chipola Junior College at No. 14, and Wallace-Hanceville at No. 19.
Delgado Community College also received votes for the poll and Mississippi Gulf Coast also gained votes towards the poll as well.
Robby Atkinson
Gray ranks high in NJCAA
East Central Community College sophomore Lenore Gray is third in the NJCAA field goal percentage this week. A 6-foot post from Newton, Gray is making 61.39 percent of her field goal attempts for the 23-2 Lady Warriors who were ranked No. 15 in the Feb. 17 Women's Division I poll.
Charis Drakeford of Bishop State CC in Mobile, Ala., was first, making 62.24 percent of her shots. In second place was Kanani Marshall of Odessa (Texas) College at 61.63 percent.
Marty Stamper
Out with a whimper
The Meridian Community College Eagles lost their last six basketball games and eight of their final nine to finish with a 13-12 record. The MCC men were 8-1 on Dec. 6 before the second semester collapse.
The Lady Eagles managed a measure of respectability as they snapped a nine-game losing streak on Monday by defeating Pearl River at Poplarville. Following a win over Southwest Mississippi in the season finale Thursday, the Lady Eagles wound up with a 12-13 mark after being 10-4 on Jan. 12.
Marty Stamper
Out with a whimper Part 2
East Mississippi's basketball teams struggled down the stretch as well.
The Lady Lions finished with a 1-11 North Division record, while the EMCC were 4-8 in league play.
Marty Stamper
Strange year for Warriors
The East Central men finished their season at 10-14 and really could have been termed Road Warriors as far as their success in 2003-04.
ECCC went 7-5 on the road, but was just 3-9 in the unfriendly confines of the Brackeen-Wood Physical Education Building.
As examples of the strangeness, the Warriors beat Mississippi Delta, Hinds, Faulkner State, Meridian, Copiah-Lincoln, and Jones all on the road, while losing to each of those teams in Decatur. The only normal' results came with Pearl River and East Mississippi as ECCC won in Decatur and lost at Poplarville and Scooba.
Even stranger, the Warriors were 6-8 against the teams making the MACJC State Tournament and just 4-6 against those teams that did not qualify. The Warriors played each of the eight teams twice with the exception of Northwest as ECCC and the Rangers did not meet.
Marty Stamper
Navarro players killed in wreck
Two members of the Navarro College men's basketball team were killed and several others injured when the van they were riding in to a game crashed into an 18-wheeler.
Jason Trier and Pa Sarr were both killed. Listed in serious condition were Edward Horton, Chris Gonzalez, and Elijahh Coppock.
Navarro is located in Corsicana, Texas.
NJCAA.org
Itawamba bound
A trio of Noxubee County football players recently signed with Itawamba Community College in Fulton. Defensive back Lester Brooks, offensive lineman Mario Skinner, and defensive lineman Dewayne Mickens both inked with the Indians.
ICC also had signees from Vicksburg, Natchez, Laurel, and Port Gibson.
Marty Stamper