ELLISVILLE – The No. 12 Jones County Junior College Bobcats outscored Meridian Community College 19-6 over the game's final 7:25 and notched an 82-60 decision here Monday night at A.B. Howard Gymnasium.
Jones is now 15-1 overall and 6-1 in the MACJC South Division.
JCJC is also tied with Southwest for first place in the division.
The Bears defeated Mississippi Gulf Coast 89-71 on Monday. JCJC and Southwest are 6-1 and MGCCC is now 5-2.
Meridian scored the game's first basket before JCJC ripped off 10 straight points. Bruce Stevens (Bay Springs) made two free throws at 17:34 to give the Bobcats a 10-2 lead.
MCC battled back to within 18-16 at the 12:03 mark on a Mike Woodard basket.
Jones then outscored the Eagles 13-2 and went ahead 31-18 at 7:03 when Rickey Holden (Laurel) scored off a Maurice Dunlap (Amanda Elzy) assist.
Tristin Walley's (Hattiesburg) 3-pointer from the left wing gave Jones it's biggest lead of the first half at 40-24 with 2:36 showing. The Bobcats led 42-29 at halftime.
JCJC went up 55-40 with 14:33 left on a Walley basket, but the Eagles came back and pulled within 63-54 with 7:43 remaining when Jacques Belford made two free throws.
The Bobcats, however, put the game away with a 17-1 run. David Davis (Purvis) hit a 3-pointer with 3:02 left to give Jones its biggest lead of the game at 80-55.
Davis led Jones with 19 points, while Stevens and Leito Holloway (Charlotte, North Carolina) had 11 each and Enrique Milton (Jackson Provine) finished with 10. Stevens had seven rebounds.
Woodard and D.J. Mitchell had 14 each for the Eagles, 2-13 overall and 2-5 in the division, and Johnny Knox added 11.
The Bobcats were 29-of-61 from the field (9-of-29 from 3-point range) for 48 percent and 15-of-19 from the free throw line. MCC was 23-of-58 from the floor (4-of-12) from beyond the arc for 40 percent. The Eagles were 10-of-13 from the free throw line. The Eagles outrebounded JCJC, 36-34.
The Bobcats open the second half of division play at Copiah-Lincoln at 8 p.m. on Thursday.
Meridian goes to Pearl River on Thursday.
 
Monday's game
Ellisville
A.B. Howard Gymnasium
MEN
Jones County 82, Meridian 60
Meridian (2-13, 2-5)            29 31 – 60
Jones County (15-1, 6-1)    42 40 – 82
MERIDIAN (60) – D.J. Mitchell 14, Mike Woodard 14, Johnny Knox 11, Kendall Moore 8, Zachary Scales 5, Jacques Belford 5, Ralphael Shaw 3.
JONES COUNTY  (82) – David Davis 19, Leito Holloway 11, Bruce Stevens 11, Enrique Milton 10, Tristin Walley 9, Maurice Dunlap 7, Rickey Holden 6, Marsellis Purvis 4, Xavier Howard 3, Falou Joof 2, Andre Tieu 0, Kelvin Collins 0, Omar Steele 0, Quentin Pough 0.