January 21, 2022
The Lady Warriors took down the Mississippi Gulf Coast Lady Bulldogs 58-55 in a nail-biting, MACCC matchup on Thursday afternoon, Jan. 20. The win is three straight for the Lady Warriors and moves ECCC to 7-6 overall and to 3-3 in MACCC play. The stellar week for ECCC started with a thrilling 73-66 overtime victory against Meridian on Tuesday night, before outlasting the Lady Bulldogs in a rare Thursday afternoon contest.
Tuesday's matchup with the Lady Eagles was back and forth throughout the entire contest as the Lady Eagles were able to close a small ECCC lead in the final minutes of the game to send it to an extra frame. The Lady Warrior defense dug deep in the additional five-minute period and held the Lady Eagles to just three total points while scoring 10.
The game had several big performances from the Lady Warriors, but none were bigger than Myeisha Scott's (Jackson) 24-point, 18 rebound game. Scott finished the night with eight offensive boards and a team-high five steals. Kaedre Denson(Philadelphia) poured in 14 points and grab six rebounds in her first start of the year as the freshman battled a knee injury through the fall semester. Wynter Taylor (Dallas, Texas) also had a stand-out game with 11 points and nine rebounds.
ECCC carried that momentum from Tuesday into Thursday's contest as the Lady Warriors outpaced the Bulldogs 15-7 in the first quarter of the game. That lead grew to as much as 12 in the early goings of the second quarter, but the Lady Bulldogs trimmed back down to four, 21-17, with an 8-0 run. The Lady Warriors closed out the half with a scoring run of their own netting nine points including back-to-back three-pointers from Sylvia Jones (Brighton, Tenn.) and Cori Keats (Philadelphia). At the midway point, ECCC led by 11, 30-19.
The third was neck-and-neck, allowing ECCC to take a nine-point advantage to the final frame. The Lady Bulldogs capitalized on some East Central turnovers late in the game and begin to trim the lead. With seven minutes on the clock, the game was tied for just the third time, 43-43. Both squads traded baskets for several possessions before ECCC fired off a 7-1 run with a Keats' three-pointer and a pair of baskets from Mirial Cannon (Madison). The quick burst gave ECCC a 54-49 lead with just three minutes to play. Some strong free-throw shooting from Taylor and Jones down the stretch held the Lady Bulldogs at bay in the final minutes to secure the 58-55 win.
Scott posted yet another double-double after she led ECCC with 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Taylor finished with a nine and nine game. Jones netted nine points and joined Denson with a team-high six assists. Shemaiah Smith (Terry) led the Lady Warriors with four blocks. ECCC was outrebounded 48-38, but outshot MGCCC 39 percent to 33 percent.
ECCC is on the road this Monday, Jan. 24, as the team travels to Senatobia to take on the Northwest Lady Rangers for just the third time in the last 10 years.
