By By Marty Stamper/The Meridian Star
Dec. 4, 2001
DECATUR It was a tough, but good night for the East Central Community College basketball teams Monday as they swept Mississippi Delta in non-division action.
The Lady Warriors won 71-61 to improve to 7-1, while the Warriors won 77-71 to even their season's mark at 4-4.
ECCC closes out first semester play here Thursday against Northwest Mississippi.
ECCC men 77
Delta 71
The Warriors scored 16 of the game's first 18 points before holding off the first of many Trojan comebacks for a 35-32 lead at halftime.
After Delta drew even at 44-44, the Warriors scored eight straight points with a dunk from James Denson giving ECCC a 52-44 lead with 13:52 left.
A 3-pointer from Laron Bradley brought the Trojans back to within 52-51 with 12:52 remaining.
Delta got to within a single point three more times with the last coming at the 4:50 mark.
The Warriors ran off seven unanswered points with Denson getting six for a 71-63 advantage with 3:16 to go.
Delta's final charge saw the Trojans close to within 74-69 only to have ECCC sophomore guard Markeith Brown stick the final dagger in the Trojans when he buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key as the shot clock ran out for a 77-69 lead with 31 seconds left.
Corey Hornsby led the Warriors, 4-4, with 23 points, 14 of which came in the second half. Denson had 11 of his 19 in the second half. ECCC also got eight points from Brown, six each from Donzel Crenshaw and Winfred Craig, and five apiece from Maurice English and Jason Richardson.
Delta got 14 points from Bradley, 13 from Kelly Scarver, 12 from Gerald Parker, and 10 from Lemarcus Rimbert.
ECCC women 71
Delta 61
The defending Region 23 champion Lady Warriors had five players score in double figures as they improved to 7-1.
ECCC carried a 27-20 lead into halftime after leading by as much as 11 points in the first 20 minutes.
Delta, 4-4, got to within 42-39 with 11:56 left on a 3-pointer from Saprina Reed, but Tamekia Foley scored six of the Lady Warriors' next eight points as they padded their lead to 50-39 with 9:19 remaining.
The Lady Trojans came storming back to close to 54-52 with 6:09 to go, but 6-foot-3 freshman center Belinda Potter made the game's next six points to extend ECCC's lead to 60-52 with 4:40 left.
Delta closed to within 64-60 with 2:31 showing on a pair of free throws from Shirley Gooch, but Foley hit a basket and Trelisa Eichelberger added a free throw over the next 35 seconds to build the lead back up to 67-60.
Nikki LaCour led ECCC with 15 points, including a 7-of-8 showing at the free-throw line. For the last four games, she's 35-of-42 at the free-throw line.
Foley finished with 12 points before fouling out.
Also scoring in double figures were Potter, Melinda Ben, and Ashley Brown with 11 points each. Eichelberger added seven.
Nakeba Gibson scored 17 of her 19 points in the second half to lead Delta. Reed scored 13 and Gooch had 10.