ELLISVILLE – Ninth-ranked Jones County Junior College crushed East Central 107-78 here Monday night during "Sophomore Night" at A.B. Howard Gymnasium.
The Bobcats clinched the MACJC South Division title outright with the win and will host the MACJC Tournament Feb. 27-March 2. An official tournament bracket will be released on Friday, but the Bobcats will play on Feb. 28.
JCJC is now 21-1 overall and 12- 1 in the division. The Bobcats are on a 9-game winning streak.
JCJC ends regular season play at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at Meridian.
Tristin Walley (Hattiesburg) hit two 3-pointers to start the game and Bruce Stevens (Bay Springs) followed with another as JCJC jumped out to a 9-0 lead with 18:15 left in the first half. The Bobcats would make its first five 3-pointers of the game.
Stevens got a slam dunk at 14:09 to make it 27-7. Rickey Holden's (Laurel) 3-pointer at 12:50 gave Jones a 32-9 lead and ECCC called its third timeout of the game.
Walley's free throw at 10:28 gave Jones its largest lead of the first half at 39-11.
East Central closed the gap to 45-28 at 3:19 on a putback by Thurston McCarty, but Leito Holloway (Charlotte, North Carolina) drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key extended to give Jones a 54-34 halftime lead.
The closest the Warriors would get in the second half was 62-47 at 16:33 on a 3-pointer by Jaylon Chiles. But the Bobcats would go on a 17-7 run over the next 4:50 and took a 79-54 lead with 11:43 left on a Holden layup.
JCJC's longest lead would be 107-76 with 58 seconds left when Quentin Pough (Laurel) made a 3-pointer.
Stevens led the Bobcats with 19 points, with Walley adding 17. Holloway and Holden had 15 points each and Maurice Dunlap (Amanda Elzy) had 11.
The Bobcats were 36-of-72 from the floor, including 15-of-31 from 3-point range, for 50 percent. JCJC was 20-of-26 from the free throw line.
Jaquan Dotson led the Warriors, 13-9 overall and 8-5 in the division, with 13 points, Jaylon Bardley added 12 and Shaquille Benson and Cameron Diggs had 10 each.
East Central was 29-of-58 from the field, including 8-of-24 from 3-point range, for 50 percent. The Warriors were 10-of-14 from the free throw line.
Bobcat Sophomores
Bobcat sophomores recognized on Monday were Tristin Walley, David Davis, Maurice Dunlap, Leito Holloway, Bruce Stevens, Xavier Howard and Rickey Holden.
 
Monday's games
Ellisville
A.B. Howard Gymnasium
MEN
Jones County 107, East Central 78
East Central (13-9, 8-5)                   34 44 – 78
Jones County (21-1, 12-1)               54 53 – 107
EAST CENTRAL (78)  – Jaquan Dotson 13, Jaylon Bardley 12, Shaquille Benson 10, Cameron Diggs 10, Jaylon Chiles 9, Thurston McCarty 6, Josh Beard 3, C.J. Ruffin 2, Tavonta Jones 2, Jerome Adkins 2, Dalton Hanna 0, Marshun Gladney 0, A.J. McFarland 0, Antonio Clark 0.
JONES COUNTY (107) – Bruce Stevens 19, Tristin Walley 17, Leito Holloway 15, Rickey Holden 15, Maurice Dunlap 11, Xavier Howard 9, Enrique Milton 6, Andre Tieu 6, Marsellis Purvis 4, Quentin Pough 3, Omar Steele 2, Kelvin Collins 0, Allen Rouse 0, Falou Joof 0.