February 12, 2021
Devin Carter connnets for three of his team-high 19 points in a home loss to Hinds. (EC Photo)
The East Central Community College Warriors dropped a pair of games on the week as the team fell to Co-Lin, 90-81, on Monday night and 86-84 to Hinds on Thursday. The losses drop ECCC to 0-6 on the season.
Stellar shooting from the Wolves proved to be the difference-maker in the game versus Co-Lin as they shot a staggering 55 percent from the floor and 52 percent, 13-of-25, from beyond the arc.
The Warriors trailed 49-37 at the half, but were gritty and battled back in the second half and cut the lead to just four, 64-60. A Co-Lin run pulled the game further out of reach, but once again the Warriors hit back and made a push that would ultimately come up short, 90-81.
ECCC had four players score in double digits with Demajion Topps (Winona) leading the way with 19. Darien Newchurch (Jackson) added 18, while Solomon Ray (Queens, N.Y.) poured in 17. Timothy McElroy (DeKalb) finished with 10. Ray also led the way on the boards with 14 to post a double-double.
In Thursday's action, the undefeated Hinds Bulldogs traveled to Brackeen-Wood Gymnasium. The Warriors had a sluggish start and trailed by nine, 21-12, with 13 minutes to play in the first half, but like the rest of this season, showed no quit as they erased the deficit to just one with solid free throw shooting and a pair of threes from Newchurch and Matthew Mackey (Flowood). Late in the first half, the Bulldogs built their lead to nine, but once more back-to-back threes, this time from Tate Ryder (Hattiesburg), kept the Warriors in the contest.
In the second half, the Bulldogs went on a 12-2 run to grow the lead to the largest of the night, 15, with just 8:50 to play. The Warriors made one last push down the stretch with some big threes from Devin Carter (Louisville) and good free throw shooting by Topps. The Warriors had possession with just 15 seconds on the clock trailing by two, 86-84, but were unable to make a game-tying or game-winning basket as the clock expired.
Carter led the Warriors with 19 points off the bench after hitting four of seven three-pointers. Topps added 16 and Newchurch scored 15. Mackey also had a strong outing off the bench scoring 11. JaMichael Wilson (Rayville, La.) led ECCC on the glass with eight rebounds.
The Warriors are back on the hardwood on Monday, Feb. 15 as the team travels to Mississippi Gulf Coast to take on the Bulldogs. That game has been moved up to a 3 p.m. tipoff time in an effort to avoid the weather.
