March 5, 2021
East Central’s India Singleton drives to the basket in the loss to Meridian. (EC Photo)
The East Central Community College Lady Warriors outscored the Lady Eagles of Meridian by eight points in the second half on Thursday night, March 4, but it wasn't enough as the Meridian escaped Brackeen-Wood Gymnasium with a 67-59 victory. The loss drops ECCC to 1-5 on the year, while MCC improves to 7-1.
Offensive struggles were prevalent for both teams in the first quarter on Thursday night as they scored a combined 14 points through the first 10 minutes of play. Turnovers and lack of ball controlled plagued the Lady Warriors going into the second, but the team found a little more rhythm as they netted 14 points. Unfortunately, the Lady Eagles were also heating up as they grew their lead and took a 16-point, 34-18, lead into the locker room.
The first five minutes of the second half were all MCC as the lead grew to a game-high, 21, 39-18, at the midway point of the third quarter. Just when the Lady Warriors seemed down-and-out, ECCC rallied and got the limited capacity crowd in Brackeen-Wood on their feet with a fierce come-from-behind effort. The excitement began to grow as ECCC's Ja'Lancia Kohlheim (Tupelo) drained the first Lady Warrior three-pointer of the night. Just two possessions later India Singleton (Laurel) found the bottom of the net from beyond the arc. A minute later Singleton hit another long-ball, and in the final seconds of the third, the freshman drilled another. The quick three-point baskets cut the Lady Eagle lead to single-digits, 48-39, going into the fourth.
The fourth quarter had ups and downs as the Lady Eagles leaped back out to a commanding lead, 52-39, early, but ECCC refused to give up and clawed out several trips to the free throw line by attacking the basket. Solid free throw shooting from Sylvia Jones (Brighton, Tenn.) and Asia Madison (Hazlehurst) kept the Lady Warriors in it and eventually pulled them within five points, 61-57, but the Lady Eagles controlled the ball down the stretch to hang on for the win.
The Lady Warriors leading scorers both came off the bench in Singleton and Madison who scored 13 and 12 points, respectively. Mirial Cannon (Madison) and Wynter Taylor (Dallas, Texas) cleaned the boards for the Lady Warriors with nine each, while Madison snagged eight rebounds. Madison also posted a team-high four blocks.
The Lady Eagles were led by 15 points from Ariana Heart, who also posted six steals, while Sidney Sims grabbed 13 rebounds.
ECCC finished the night shooting 32 percent to Meridian's 31 from the floor. The Lady Warriors also outrebounded the Lady Eagles, 53-50, but turned the ball over 14 more times, which proved to be the difference-maker.
Up Next
The Lady Warriors hit the road on Monday, March 8, as the team travels to Wesson to take on the Co-Lin Lady Wolves. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m. and fans can watch the game live at www.colinathletics.com/watch.
