March 2, 2021
East Central’s Devin Carter fights off a Jones’ defender in first half action. (EC Photo)
It was a tight one in Brackeen-Wood Gymnasium on Monday night, March 1, as the Jones College Bobcats edged out a win over the East Central Community College Warriors, 71-65. The loss drops the Warriors to 1-9 on the year and improves the Bobcats to 3-4.
The early goings were back-and-forth as there were six ties and five lead changes in the first 10 minutes of action. A 9-0 Jones run pushed the Bobcats in front by six, 27-21, but the Warriors responded with a 9-3 run with big baskets from JaMichael Wilson (Rayville, La.), Demajion Topps (Winona), and Tate Ryder (Hattiesburg), along with solid free throw shooting from Devin Carter (Louisville) knotted the game at 30-30. Heading into the half, the Bobcats led by one, 42-43, after the game was tied 10 times.
Jones came of the locker room firing and leaped out to a 10-point advantage on yet another 9-0 run. The Warriors battled for the remaining 17 minutes and cut the lead to as little as three, 59-56, after Darien Newchurch (Jackson) and Ryder rattled home some baskets with eight minutes on the clock. The Warriors continued to fight down the stretch but were unable to regain the lead.
Carter and Topps led the way with a pair of 14-point performances, while Carter also led the team on the glass with eight rebounds. Newchurch led bench scores with seven points on three-of-six shooting from the floor. Reggie Gause Jr. led Jones with 16 points, while Jabari Bowman finished with a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Up Next
The Warriors are on the road on Thursday, March 4, as they travel to Meridian to face the Eagles. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m.
