Wesson, Miss. – The turnaround is complete for the Northeast Mississippi Community College men's basketball team. Now, the Tigers have the opportunity to make some noise in their postseason opener.
Northeast faces nationally ranked Jones County Junior College in the quarterfinal round of the 2015 Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) State Tournament. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. inside Mullen Gymnasium on the campus of Copiah-Lincoln Community College.
Those that cannot attend the matchup can watch it live on NEMCCTV, which is the new broadcast home for all nine Northeast intercollegiate athletic programs. Join Jeremy Kennedy, the Voice of the Tigers, at 12:40 p.m. for the pregame show by visiting www.nemcctv.com.
Fans can also keep up with the contest using live in-game updates on Twitter by searching and following @NEMCCTigers.
Northeast is making its first playoff appearance since the 2010-11 campaign. The Tigers lost to Pearl River Community College in both the MACJC State Tournament and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 23 Tournament that season.
The Tigers have compiled one of the hottest spring semesters in the entire country with a 10-2 record since classes resumed from the extended holiday break. That is second best in the Magnolia State behind only Holmes Community College's 12-1 ledger in that same span.
All this after Northeast claimed only five wins one season ago during a rebuilding campaign under then new head coach Cord Wright. The now second-year leader of the Tigers credits the quick reversal to his six sophomores that wanted to add their legacy to an already tradition-rich program that boasts three NJCAA National Tournament runner-up finishes.
"I think from the time they got here in August they've had the mentality of wanting to work," said Wright. "They knew that it would take some time. They kept trying to challenge themselves and told the freshmen to hang in there. That just comes through experience."
Dimario Jackson has been the catalyst for Northeast (16-7) throughout the season. He guides the Tigers with team-highs of 19.1 points, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals per outing.
The two-time MACJC Player of the Week selection fully understands that the playoffs are a single elimination event and knows that his squad must
"We lose there isn't another chance," he said. "You have to win to keep playing and we plan on playing each and every day."
The Corinth duo of Desmin Harris and Raheem Sorrell have been phenomenal during their freshman years. Sorrell is second on the ball club with an average of 11 points while Harris is a consistent three-point threat with 34.6 percent mark from beyond the arc.
Harris feels that if he and his teammates exceed the energy that the defending national champion brings to the court then Northeast can find success in its postseason opener.
"I heard they're a really good team," Harris said. "I feel like we have to match their intensity and probably bring a little bit more than they bring to the table."
Bryce Jones tops the Bobcats and is third in the conference in total points behind Jackson and Daryl Macon of Holmes with 414 points during his sophomore campaign. Christopher White is Jones County's top defensive presence with 6.6 rebounds each game.
It is the first matchup for Northeast versus a team that appears in the NJCAA poll this year. The Tigers defeated Columbia State (Tenn.) Community College, which was receiving votes in the national rankings, in December.
Northeast and the Bobcats meet for the initial time this season. The Tigers held Jones County to a season-low in total points during a 58-48 loss in their lone head-to-head contest during the 2013-14 campaign at legendary Bonner Arnold Coliseum.