MGCCC Lady Bulldogs prepare for Northeast rematch

MGCCC’S Shamekia Hart (5) passes the ball against Northeast back on Feb. 25.

The road to redemption for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College begins this week when the Lady Bulldogs (17-7) face Northeast Thursday in the opening round of the 2013 Region 23 Tournament in Clinton. Gulf Coast dropped a 68-66 overtime to decision to Northeast Feb. 25 at the MACJC Tournament, a game in which Gulf Coast led by eight points at halftime.

“Our motto this season is ‘commit to finish’, and it’s time for us to do that,” said Gulf Coast head coach Melanie Stone. “We feel like we didn’t finish against Northeast the first time around. We’ve talked about taking advantage of this opportunity.”

Gulf Coast forward Markia Nix earned MACJC Player of the Week honors for her 34-point, 10 rebound effort against Lady Tigers. It’s the second time this season that Nix, a sophomore from Moss Point, has been the MACJC’s weekly honoree.
“That loss left a bad taste in our mouths,” Nix said. “We feel like this is a chance to take care of some unfinished business.”

Gulf Coast tips off against Northeast at 12:30 p.m. Thursday with the winner advancing to the semi-finals against the Baton Rouge/Jones winner Friday at 6 p.m. The Region 23 Tournament Champion advances to the NJCAA Tournament in Salina, KS March 18-23.

“We have to keep up our intensity for the entire 40 minutes this time,” Nix added. “We know what happens if we don’t.”

Lady Bulldog fans can watch all the action via streaming video at www.mgcccbulldogs.com.