MGCCC men outduel East Miss @ MACJC Tourney

MGCCC’S Charles Smith (right) sets a pick for Chris Bilbo in action vs. East Miss Feb. 26.

POPLARVILLE---The quest for three straight MACJC basketball titles began successfully for Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in a thrilling 84-82 overtime win over East Mississippi Tuesday. The Bulldogs (17-7), the league’s two-time defending State Champions, will take on Mississippi Delta Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the tournament semi-finals.

Gulf Coast fell behind by as my as 11 in the second half but came back with a 20-8 run to take the lead with 7:40 left. A clutch three-pointer by JaMichael Hawkins with 3 seconds remaining sent the contest to overtime tied at 72. In the extra period, sophomore Chris Bilbo hit two key foul shots with 8 seconds left to put his team in front for good.

The Bulldogs entered the tournament as the South’s No. 4 seed while the Lions (17-7) were the No. 1 seeded team out of the North. Hawkins led Gulf Coast with 31 points while Chris Bilbo had 24, Darius Forest had 13, and Giancarlo Santiago added 11.