Booneville, Miss. - Dashiyah Agnew did a little bit of everything for the Northeast Mississippi Community College women's basketball program during their first contest of the new campaign.
Agnew had an excellent night that included a game-high 17 points during a 74-59 loss by the Lady Tigers against Jones County Junior College on Tuesday, November 3 on the final evening of the 2015 Northeast Tipoff Classic.
The Booneville High School graduate accounted for the initial points of the season for the Lady Tigers just under two minutes into the matchup. Another bucket from Agnew sparked a 7-0 run by Northeast that cut Jones County's early lead to 13-11.
The Lady Bobcats (1-1) pushed their advantage to 32-19 midway through the second quarter following a three-pointer by Ashailee Brailey and a Zan Ratcliffe field goal.
But Shelby Wilbanks accounted for eight points during a 10-2 stretch in the last two minutes and 42 seconds of the half to bring the Lady Tigers back within two possessions of Jones County at 34-29.
Natasha Jones was true from long distance less than a minute into the third to get Northeast within four points of the Lady Bobcats. Agnew's old-fashioned three-point play allowed the Lady Tigers to stay in striking distance throughout the period.
Northeast tried to rally in the fourth after a Ratcliffe basket gave Jones County its biggest lead at 54-39. Two free throws from Timaya Stewart and an Agnew trey made the score 61-53 in favor of the Lady Bobcats with 4:35 remaining in the contest.
Bridgejae Patterson and Stewart added late makes for the Lady Tigers, but Jones County sealed the victory by going eight of 10 at the charity stripe during the final quarter.
"I told them in the locker room that we were going to play with dedication, commitment and discipline," said Northeast head coach Brenda Mayes. "The effort that they gave was just great. I'm really proud of them."
Agnew tallied game-highs of six assists and two steals to go along with her point total. She also had five rebounds, which was second most for the Lady Tigers behind only Wilbanks.
"I felt like we went out there and played together like we practiced," Agnew said. "Everybody communicated with each other, shared the ball and just played defense."
Stewart and Wilbanks were solid during their respective debuts in a Northeast uniform. Wilbanks guided the Lady Tigers in the post with 15 points and a team-best six boards while Stewart barely missed double figures with eight points.
Northeast (0-1) was exceptional from long distance against the Lady Bobcats with an even 50 percent ledger. Jones guided that effort with a pair of shots from beyond the arc.
The Lady Tigers forced Jones County into committing 25 turnovers during the matchup. Northeast transitioned those miscues into 25 points on the opposite end of the floor.
"It was just exciting to get to know how we really were going to play," said Mayes. "We were glad that we had a nice crowd out to watch their first performance. The time was here."
(M) Jones County 86, Northeast 84
Leroy Buchanan and an outstanding lineup of new arrivals continued to impress during the last of six contests during the annual tournament inside legendary Bonner Arnold Coliseum.
Buchanan accumulated a team-high 20 points on eight made field goals to guide Northeast against the Bobcats, who were picked to finish third in the National Junior College Athletic Association's (NJCAA) Region 23 preseason predictions.
"They look for me to lead the team so I just tried to play my hardest," Buchanan said. "I've got to step up every game and we've gotta continue coming together as a family."
The Bobcats took a quick 6-2 advantage at the 17:58 mark following back-to-back buckets by Christian Robertson. But Raheem Sorrell was fouled on a layup moments later and made the accompanying free shot to get the Tigers rolling offensively.
Trey Potts electrified the crowd shortly after that with a two-handed dunk off a beautiful alley oop lob pass by Kendarius Smith. It capped a streak of nine unanswered points for Northeast.
The Tigers (1-1) hovered around a double-digit lead for the remainder of the half. Late treys from Desmin Harris and Buchanan lifted Northeast ahead by a margin of 48-36 at the break.
Baskets from Davon Hayes and Lawson allowed the Tigers to extend their advantage right after the intermission. Kendall Stafford connected on an attempt from behind the arc gave Northeast a 70-47 lead with 14:49 left in the contest.
Potts and Smith combined for the nicest play of the matchup seconds later. Smith stole the ball and tossed it off the backboard on a fast break to Potts, who slammed it into the hoop for his second outstanding dunk of the game.
The Tigers went on a horrid cold spell that spanned over six minutes on the clock. Jones County (2-0) scored 21 consecutive points in that time to leap in front of Northeast 78-75.
The matchup featured four ties and two lead changes in the last five minutes. Rickey Holden's pair of free throws with two seconds showing on the timer was eventually the difference for the Bobcats.
"Our guys played hard," said Northeast headman Cord Wright. "We lost a tough one to a good squad, but it will help us as we continue to grow and get better as a team."
Wesley Harris was phenomenal for a second straight night. He registered 18 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor with a game-best eight rebounds in just 16 minutes of work.
Smith recorded another double figure outing for the Tigers with 12 points. He paced a group that compiled 18 assists overall with four dimes, which matched Antonio Dodson and Hayes for a team-high.
Northeast held a plus-seven edge on the boards with Stafford contributing seven rebounds to that cause. The Tigers were wonderful off the bench again with 48 points between their nine substitutes.
Both Northeast squads receive the rest of the week off and return to action on Tuesday, November 10. The Lady Tigers welcome Jackson State (Tenn.) Community College at 5:30 p.m. while the Tigers host Bethel (Tenn.) University's junior varsity unit in the nightcap.
(M) Northwest 83, Baton Rouge 67
Seth LeDay had a double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds for Northwest Mississippi Community College. Devante Marshall notched 20 points in Baton Rouge (La.) Community College's second loss of the event.