Clinton, Miss. – Several members of the Northeast Mississippi Community College men's basketball program are set for a homecoming as postseason play resumes after an over week-long hiatus.
The Tigers meet Holmes Community College in the quarterfinals of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 23 Tournament. A 2 p.m. start is scheduled for Thursday, March 3 on the campus of Mississippi College.
Those that cannot attend Northeast's games in the tournament can watch live on NEMCCTV. Join Jeremy Kennedy, the Voice of the Tigers, 15 minutes prior to tipoff for comprehensive coverage by visiting www.nemcctv.com on any computer, smartphone or tablet.
Search and follow @NEMCCTigers on Twitter for live in-game updates and interact throughout the competition by using the hashtag #TigerPower across all social media platforms.
Northeast finished third in the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) North Division and is seeded eighth in this event with 10 wins against regional opponents this year.
The Bulldogs (18-6) received the top seed and were victorious in both regular season matchups with the Tigers, including a 99-94 overtime decision inside Bonner Arnold Coliseum on February 18.
This is the seventh meeting between these two teams over the last two campaigns. Northeast head coach Cord Wright believes his squad must gain an early edge in order to find success.
"I think whoever gets off to a good start is going to set the tone," he said. "That's kinda been our mantra this season. Once we get off to a good start, we play pretty well."
The Tigers (15-9) also hope to build a home-court advantage of sorts inside A.E. Wood Coliseum with the families and friends of the five players whose hometowns are inside the Jackson metro area.
"It'll be good to have all our fans come down there and support us," said Northeast sophomore Chase Carroll, who graduated from Madison Central High School. "We've just gotta be relaxed and play our game."
Callaway High School alumnus Wesley Harris guides the Tigers with team-highs of 18 points and 8.3 rebounds per outing. He had a double-double during Northeast's MACJC State Tournament contest versus Jones County Junior College with 22 points and 15 boards.
Madison's Leroy Buchanan follows Harris with an average of 14 points. Kendarius Smith of Velma Jackson High School paces Northeast with 3.3 assists while Buchanan swipes two steals each matchup.
University of Arkansas signee Daryl Macon leads Holmes and the conference with 23.5 points per game. He shoots 48.5 percent from the floor overall and 82.9 percent at the charity stripe.
Both clubs are seeking to bounce back from losses in the first round of the MACJC State Tournament. The Bulldogs fell to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College while the Tigers came just short of defeating the Bobcats.
The other pairing on Northeast's side of the bracket is Northwest Mississippi Community College against Jones County. The semifinals are slated for Friday, March 4 with the title contest one night later.
"This is always a good time of the year," Wright said. "That's been the selling point to our kids. Obviously not everybody gets this opportunity so we want to make the best of it and have some fun doing it."