No. 3 MGCCC win weather-shortened MACCC event

Lightning forced the cancelation of the second round of the Meridian Spring Invitational on Tuesday, handing No. 3 Mississippi Gulf Coast it's third MACCC victory of the year.

Scores reverted to those from the end of the first round. Gulf Coast led No. 6 Northeast Mississippi by one shot after the first 18 holes at the Northwood Country Club. Host Meridian, ranked seventh in the latest Bushnell Golfweek NJCAA Division II Coaches Poll, was one more shot back.

"It started raining on us on about the second hole, but it didn't rain hard. It was just an aggravating rain," Gulf Coast coach Tommy Snell said. "About the eighth hole, it started raining harder and on the ninth hole it really started raining. Then the lightning started, and we had to call them in. There was just no end in sight."

Matt Wilkinson (Fr, Madison Central/Madison) finished second with a 72, three back of Meridian's Diego Leslie, who shot 2-under. Ethan Trouth (Fr, The Streetly Academy/Sutton Coldfield, England) tied for fourth at 3-over to earn All-Tournament honors. 

Gulf Coast had opened as big as a five-stroke lead on the front nine of the second round, but that had evaporated by the time the weather got nasty. The Bulldogs were tied with Northeast early on the back nine, with Meridian five shots back when the tournament ended.

The Southwest Mississippi Spring Invitational will be the final MACCC regular-season event of the year. It will be played at Quail Hollow Golf Club in McComb on March 29-30.

The MACCC Championship and NJCAA District D Championships will be played in April, with the NJCAA Tournament in Indiana in May.

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