Goodman, Miss. – Northeast Mississippi Community College's basketball programs picked up a pair of huge wins and one head coach collected a milestone victory in the process.
The Lady Tigers and Tigers defeated Holmes Community College by scores of 67-61 and 60-53, respectively, on Thursday, January 19 with men's headman Cord Wright claiming his 50th career triumph at Northeast in the nightcap.
"It's a credit to every player I've had," said Wright. "Coming from my first year to where we are now, it's exciting. Obviously I've had good players and a tremendous assistant coach (Kyle Morris)."
Northeast snapped a lengthy negative stretch when visiting Frank Branch Coliseum. The last victory for the Lady Tigers at Holmes was during December 2009 while the Tigers most recently won in January 2008.
It was the first sweep for Northeast in Goodman since the 1999-2000 campaign when Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) Hall of Famers Ricky Ford and Mike Lewis were still in command.
"I think the key was just the guys' resiliency," Wright said. "I talked to them yesterday before practice and it was just about keeping their head up. Winning is really, really hard. Our guys responded. I'm proud of them as a team."
Brothers Leroy Buchanan and Shunn Buchanan paced the Tigers in what was essentially a homecoming game for the duo. The Madison Central High School alumni combined for 33 of Northeast's 60 total points.
The eldest Buchanan, Leroy, recorded a game-high 18 points after shooting 50-percent from the field. It was his 16th consecutive double-digit performance dating back to the 2016 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I National Tournament matchup with Salt Lake (Utah) Community College.
"Our teammates knew we came home so we wanted to show out. The shots were falling for us," said Buchanan. "Last year we came in here and we did bad so I knew we had to come with it this time."
The younger Buchanan, Shunn, was the only other Tiger to reach double figures with 15 points. He was five-of-nine from the floor and added three assists during his stellar outing.
"It was an emotional high," Buchanan said. "I just had to come out and play hard. We needed this win to get our momentum back going. I just thank my teammates and thank God."
The first half was very competitive between the last two NJCAA Region 23 champions. It featured six lead changes and two other instances in which the score was tied.
Kendarius Smith's transition basket after a block on the opposite end of the court by Leroy Buchanan with 7:40 remaining before the intermission gave Northeast (10-5, 2-2) a lead that it would not relinquish.
The Tigers closed the half by accounting for nine of the last 12 points. Leroy Buchanan had four points while Kendall Stafford knocked down a big trey to extend Northeast's advantage to 35-22 at the break.
The Bulldogs (8-7, 2-2) never caught up in the second stanza as the Tigers maintained at least a two-possession lead. Holmes cut its deficit to five points on three separate occasions.
But Northeast answered at each instance and got its lead back above double-digits at 60-49 with less than one minute to go following five straight points from the Buchanan boys.
Stafford narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and a game-best nine rebounds. Darius Williams chipped in seven points as well in the winning effort for the Tigers.
Northeast is the first team in the MACJC North Division to reach the 10-win plateau. The Tigers have now captured at least 10 victories for three seasons in a row under the direction of Wright.
Jada Tubbs made the most of her first career start at Northeast in the women's contest. She posted her inaugural double-double with career-highs of 13 points and 10 boards.
The Biggersville High School graduate was a perfect five-of-five from the field, which included a key three-pointer in the fourth quarter. Tubbs also produced five assists and one block in her phenomenal showing.
"I just knew I had to produce," said Tubbs. "I wasn't really just nervous. I did what I had to do for us to win. I feel like I'm getting better every time I step onto the court. I'm going to keep playing hard."
Both squads participated in a high scoring opening period that saw the Lady Tigers lead 22-19. Timaya Stewart accumulated seven points in the first while LaKeiya Lane made a big shot from long distance.
Stewart pieced together a personal 7-0 run midway through the second that pushed Northeast's advantage into double figures. The Lady Tigers (8-7, 3-1) stayed ahead by a 36-28 margin at halftime.
The Lady Bulldogs (5-8, 1-3) cut their deficit to as close as one possession with 5:34 to go in the third on a Nhamia Wilson trey. But a late layup by Lane put Northeast up 48-42 entering the fourth.
Holmes kept things interesting on its home floor and came within 61-58 with just over two minutes to play. The Lady Tigers, though, turned to their standout post players in the waning moments.
Shelby Wilbanks and Aundrea Adams made back-to-back buckets that gave Northeast some breathing room at 65-58. Adams also blocked a critical shot attempt by the Lady Bulldogs with less than 30 seconds remaining.
"It was a great night," Lady Tigers head coach Brenda Mayes said. "They played together as a team with our inside and outside game. This is positive momentum to move forward on. We're excited about it."
Stewart tallied a game-best 20 points, including a perfect seven-of-seven ledger in the first half, after failing to score in a contest for the first time in her tenure at Northeast just two days earlier against East Mississippi Community College.
"I just listened to my assistant coach (Kunshinge Sorrell-Howard)," said Stewart, "and she told me to keep my composure and take my time on my shots. I just hope that we keep this up."
Lane chipped in 14 points plus eight assists, which tied a personal best. Adams secured her fourth double-double in the last five matchups as well with 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.
Northeast shot 46.7-percent from long range, which was its second highest mark of the campaign. The Lady Tigers were 45-percent from the field overall and compiled 19 assists as a unit.