CLINTON – The season is over for the Jones College men's basketball team.
 
Meridian took the lead for good just over a minute into play and did not look back as they defeated the Bobcats 70-57 here Sunday night in the Region 23 Tournament championship game at A.E. Wood Coliseum on the campus of Mississippi College.
 
The Bobcats end the year at 17-11.
 
Meridian, 19-8, advances to the NJCAA Division I Tournament, beginning March 20 in Hutchinson, Kansas.
 
Caleb McGill's (Petal) basket off the opening tip gave Jones its only lead of the night at 2-0. MCC scored the next seven points.
 
A Makeem Roberts' jumper put the Eagles ahead 20-9 at the 10:50 mark of the first half. A Roberts' three-pointer gave MCC a 28-17 lead with 5:36 showing.
 
But Jones battled back and cut the lead to 33-29 at the break when Samarion Grant (Jackson Provine) hit an off balance three-pointer as the halftime buzzer sounded.
 
A three-pointer by Ashton Campbell (Forrest County AHS) got the Bobcats to within 42-40 with 15:22 remaining, but that was as close as Jones would get.
 
A layup by Daquarius Harris (Memphis, Tennessee) made it 57-49 with 5:42 to play. But the Eagles went on an 8-0 run, capped by two Reubon Kelly free throws, and took its largest lead at 65-49 with just 3:45 remaining.
 
McGill and Harris led Jones with 13 points each and Treylan Smith (Petal) added nine. Harris led Jones with seven rebounds and Jay Barnes (Oak Grove) added six.
 
Roberts led the Eagles with 25 points, Christian Terrell added 20 and Kelly had 15. Talib Ferrette had nine points and Randarius Hughes had a game-high 14 rebounds.
 
The Bobcats made 22-of-58 shots for 38 percent, 5-of-17 three-pointers for 29 percent and 8-of-11 free throws. MCC hit 21-of-55 shots for 38 percent, 9-of-24 from beyond the arc for 38 percent and 19-of-22 foul shots.
 
The Eagles outrebounded Jones 43-28, while the Bobcats had 13 turnovers compared to 15 for MCC. 
 
Jones outscored the Eagles 30-16 on points in the paint.