PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast's push to make its first MACJC Tournament since 2012-13 has a stern test Monday when No. 4 Jones visits the Weathers-Wentzell Center on Sophomore Night.
The Lady Bulldogs have won four straight games and are tied for second in the South Division with Copiah-Lincoln, with Pearl River and East Central a game behind. Their magic number to clinch a playoff spot outright is a combination of two MGCCC victories and losses by either PRCC or ECCC.
Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., with ceremonies to honor the sophomores taking place afterward. The game will be streamed at https://livestream.com/MGCCCBulldogs/events/8568545.
Records
• MGCCC: 12-7/8-4 MACJC South, T-2nd place in division
• Jones: 19-2/11-1 MACJC South, 1st place in division
Monday in the MACJC
• Meridian at Copiah-Lincoln, 5:30 p.m.
• Pearl River at Southwest, 5:30 p.m.
• Hinds at East Central, 5:30 p.m.
Last Time Out
• MGCCC rallied from an 11-point first half deficit to crush archrival Pearl River 68-49 Thursday at Poplarville. Kayla Simmons (Fr., Brandon/Brandon) and Amber Sutton (Fr., Jackson/Madison Central) led the Lady Bulldogs with 11 points.
• Jones defeated Southwest 90-64 in Ellisville behind Kyia Weathersby's 17 points. The victory clinched the South Division, and JC will host the state tournament next week.
Previous Meeting
Jones won the first meeting between the teams 91-57 on Jan. 24. Breannah McCullah's 13 points led the Lady Bulldogs.
Notes
• Kayla Simmons is averaging 5.0 offensive rebounds per game, fifth-best in NJCAA Division I. Her 10.2 rebounds is 21-st best.
• The Lady Bulldogs' 12 wins are the most since 2012-13 (18). They need one more win for their most division victories since that team went 8-4.
Three Ahead
• Thursday, at Hinds, 5:30 p.m., Utica (end of regular-season)
• Feb. 25-28, MACJC Tournament, Ellisville
• March 5-8, NJCAA Region 23, Clinton
For more information on MGCCC's 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
Don Hammack
Sports Information Director
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College