Women's Basketball | 2/28/2019 6:56:00 AM
ELLISVILLE – The No. 13 Jones College Lady Bobcats will play for its third straight MACJC title.
Keyara Jones (Heidelberg) scored 27 points - all in the final three quarters - to help the Lady Bobcats defeat Mississippi Gulf Coast 85-67 in a semifinal game here Wednesday at A.B. Howard Gymnasium.
Jones, 23-2, will now face Copiah-Lincoln at 7:30 p.m. Thursday for the championship. Co-Lin scored at the buzzer to defeat Itawamba, 57-55, in the other semifinal game.
The Lady Bobcats will also play in the Region 23 Tournament March 5-9 at Mississippi College in Clinton.
The Lady Bobcats had to overcome a 10-point deficit to win the game.
Nya Irvin's 3-pointer gave MGCCC a 26-16 lead with 5:49 left in the second quarter, but then
Keyara Jones took over.
Keyara Jones, held scoreless until that point, made four 3-pointers the remainder of the half and
Destiny Haymer (Holmes County Central) scored at the buzzer to give the Lady Bobcats a 34-32 lead at halftime.
A
Maya Jones (Northwest Rankin) basket at 7:22 of the third quarter put Jones up, 44-34. Shelli Thigpen's basket at 5:29 made it 46-42, but that was as close as MGCCC would get.
Maya Jones scored with six seconds left in the third period to give the Lady Bobcats a 62-47 lead going into the final quarter.
Haymer's basket at 4:18 gave Jones its longest lead of the game at 77-58.
Keyara Jones ended the game with 27 points, including a 7-of-13 effort from beyond the arc. Haymer added 15 points,
Maya Jones had 13,
Breonca Ducksworth (West Jones) had 12 and
Kyia Weathersby (Collins) finished with 11.
Haymer and
Maya Jones each had seven rebounds and Haymer had nine assists.
Thigpen had 16 points for MGCCC, 14-9. Daphane White had 14, Kayla Simmons added 13 and Mia Goolsby finished with 11.
The Lady Bobcats were 27-of-62 from the field (8-of-18 from 3-point range) for 44 percent. Jones was 23-of-31 from the free throw line.
MGCCC was 25-of-59 from the floor (3-of-10 from 3-point range) for 42 percent. The Lady Bulldogs were 14-of-19 from the free throw line.
MGCCC outrebounded Jones, 37-36. Jones had 10 turnovers compared to 18 for the Lady Bulldogs.
MACJC Tournament
Ellisville
Jones College
A.B. Howard Gymnasium
Wednesday's game
WOMEN
No. 13 Jones College 85, Mississippi Gulf Coast 67
Miss. Gulf Coast (14-9) 19 13 15 20 – 67
Jones College (23-2) 14 20 28 23 – 85
MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST (67– Shelli Thigpen 16, Daphane White 14, Kayla Simmons 13, Mia Goolsby 11, Azaria Howard 8, Nya Irvin 3, Nakendra Owens 2, Breannah McCullah 0, Briana Thompson 0, Amber Sutton 0, Whitney Johnson 0.
JONES COLLEGE (85)–
Keyara Jones 27,
Destiny Haymer 15,
Maya Jones 13,
Breonca Ducksworth 12,
Kyia Weathersby 11,
Endia Holliday 6,
Jatyjia Jones 1,
Lekera Hughes 0,
Chyna Allen 0,
LaMiracle Sims 0.
MACJC TOURNAMENT
Ellisville
Jones College
A.B. Howard Gymnasium
WOMEN
Monday's results
Itawamba 81, Pearl River 63
Copiah-Lincoln 65, East Mississippi 47
Jones College 88, Mississippi Delta 53
Mississippi Gulf Coast 64, Northeast 45
Wednesday's results
Copiah-Lincoln 57, Itawamba 55
Jones College 85, Mississippi Gulf Coast 67
Thursday's game
5:30 p.m., Championship, Jones College vs. Copiah-Lincoln
