MGCCC plays archrival PRCC in region opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College | 30 | 27 | 57 |
|
Pearl River Community College | 36 | 30 | 66 |
PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast will open NJCAA Region 23 Tournament play Tuesday against Pearl River, which won the MACJC Tournament on Thursday.
"We're going to do what we do," Gulf Coast coach Wendell Weathers said. "We've won seven of our last 10, and there's no reason to change that formula now."
As usual, the region tournament is being played at A.E. Wood Coliseum on the Mississippi College campus in Clinton. Semifinals will be played Thursday afternoon, with the championship decided Friday night.
The No. 7-seed Bulldogs (16-8) and No. 2-seed Pearl River (20-4) split during the regular season. MGCCC won 77-66 in January at Poplarville, and PRCC won 90-73 in February in Perkinston.
"I thought we played well when we lost against them the last time," Weathers said. "The difference was (Brandon Cranford who) came off the bench and made 9 out of 11 threes. Outside of that, I thought we played pretty well in that game."
The other half of MGCCC's bracket is No. 3 Baton Rouge and No. 6 Northeast. Those teams play at 5:30 p.m.
If Gulf Coast wins, it would play again Thursday at 3 p.m. The Region 23 championship game is Friday at 7:30 p.m.
The Bulldogs have won four Region 23 championships. The winner of the tournament earns a berth in the NJCAA Tournament March 19-25 in Hutchinson, Kansas. There are 16 automatic bids and eight at-large spots
NJCAA Region 23 Tournament Schedule
Tuesday
Quarterfinal 1: No. 8 Southwest vs. No. 1 Northwest, 1 p.m.
Quarterfinal 2: No. 5 Copiah-Lincoln vs. No. 4 Holmes, 3 p.m.
Quarterfinal 3: No. 6 Northeast vs. No. 3 Baton Rouge, 5:30 p.m.
Quarterfinal 4: No. 7 Gulf Coast vs. No. 2 Pearl River, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday
Semifinal 1: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 1 p.m.
Semifinal 2: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 3 p.m.
Friday
Championship: Semifinal 1 winner vs. Semifinal 2 winner, 7:30 p.m.
For more information on MGCCC's 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCAthletics on Twitter and BulldogLIVE on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
