The excitement of March Madness may not be here just yet, but its presence may be felt tonight in Horace C. Holmes Gym when the Southwest Mississippi Community College men host Hinds Community College in a pivotal South Division basketball game at 7.
The winner of tonight’s game secures the No. 3 seed in the Mississippi Association of Community/Junior College State Tournament, which begins Monday at Itawamba Community College.
Southwest, Hinds and Jones County Junior College are all tied for third place at 5-6 in South Division action. The top four teams in each division earn spots in the state tournament.
Jones County visits Co-Lin tonight. The winner of that game is guaranteed the No. 4 spot out of the South.
SMCC traveled to Ellisville on Monday and lost a disappointing 102-94 overtime decision to the Bobcats.
“We lost a tough game Monday night at Jones,” Southwest coach Casey Carter said. “But if there is a silver lining in it somewhere, it tends to get the guys more focused and listening to the coaches a little more. They have been business-like this week and realize what they have to do tonight to come away with a win.”
Hinds defeated the Bears 81-79 on the road in the first meeting Jan. 30. Southwest freshman Mark Bridgewater’s shot at the buzzer from just beyond midcourt hit the rim. Bridgewater finished with 13 points in that game. Sophomore Cory Lacy had 21 points.
“We played extremely hard against Hinds the first time,” Carter said. “After the first game, we know each possession in tonight’s game is going to be critical. I have told the guys to just go out and do what we do best.”
The Bears upended then-No. 16 Gulf Coast Community College 72-71 in front of a packed house at Bear Gymnasium last week.
“Last Thursday night was unbelievable. The fan turnout was amazing,” Carter said of the Gulf Coast game. “It gave our guys a ton of energy. We hope to see the same kind of crowd tonight.”
The women tip off at 5 followed by the men at 7. All high school juniors and seniors will be admitted free.
Carter said the excitement around campus has been magical.
“We aren’t going to pull out any tricks tonight. We just have to go out and do what we do,” Carter said. “Since the loss to Jones, I told the team that if they will just do what we do every day here at home, they will be fine. I also told them to appreciate the opportunity to get to play in a game like this and to enjoy every minute of it and leave everything on the court. Play tonight as if it is your last game.”
