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Southwest Mississippi Community College

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Southwest vs. East Central

Men's Basketball Michael D. Gunnell, Southwest Sports Information

Bears end regular season on a high note

The Bears closed out their regular season on a high note Monday night in Decatur as they edged home standing East Central 64-59. The Lady Bears were not as fortunate as they were defeated 70-63.
 
With their win, the Bears finished the year with a 15-8 overall record and 8-4 in the MACJC South Division. They begin play in the state tournament next Tuesday in Poplarville. Their seeding, either second or third from the South, will depend on the outcome of Thursday night’s East Central-Jones County game. Tournament brackets will be released later this week.
 
Despite East Central’s record (2-20, 2-9), the win would not be easy for the Bears. With four ties and three lead changes in the first 6:49 of the half, the hosts showed they could not be taken lightly.
 
The last tie of the half, 15-15, came with 13:11 to play in the first half. A Mikel Henry three-pointer then began a 12-2 run that would put the Bears on top 27-17 with 6:49 left before the break. Outscored 14-6 the rest of the half, the Bears took a 33-31 lead into the locker room.
 
The Warriors quickly took a 34-33 lead as the second half got underway. But, led by Deville Smith’s six points, a 13-4 run put Southwest up by 10, 48-38, with 12:49 left in the game.
 
East Central, however, proved it still had some fight left in it. With Chris Rhoney scoring seven points, the Warriors outscored the Bears 12-4 over the next 5:47 to pull to within two points, 52-50. Baskets from Deione Weeks and Quintarius Porter helped Bears go back up by seven, 62-55, with 3:18 to play and they were able to escape with the five-point victory.
 
“Finishing the regular season with a win and heading into post-season play on a good note is huge for us,” said Southwest head coach Casey Carter. “I’m proud of our guys’ effort and focus in a game that was hard to play for several different reasons. Now, we have a week to rest up as we prepare (for the state tournament).”
 
Devin Flowers led the Bears’ offense with 17 points on the night. Also in double figures were Donovan Ross and Weeks, with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Henry added eight points for Southwest while Porter scored seven. Smith netted five points and Corey Williams had four. The Bears made all five of their free throw attempts in the game.
 
East Central was led by Aquill Baynard’s 17 points. The Warriors hit 12 of 17 free throws.

  Box Score---
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