BOONEVILLE, Miss. - The Northeast Mississippi Community College men's basketball program bounced back in a big way after losing its conference opener on the road.
The nationally ranked Tigers led the entire second half on the way to defeating archrival Itawamba Community College by a score of 90-72 on Tuesday, December 7 inside legendary Bonner Arnold Coliseum.
It is the second time in the last three seasons that Northeast has swept the annual home-and-home series with the Indians. The Tigers (8-2, 1-1) captured the first meeting in Fulton with a thrilling 90-85 overtime decision one month ago.
"I was proud of the way we responded," said Northeast head coach Cord Wright. "We had two really good days of practice with the emphasis being on toughness and discipline. I thought tonight we showed that."
The opening half was very competitive with seven ties and eight lead changes between the two teams. Itawamba (7-2, 1-1) jumped ahead 29-23 with 5:51 remaining before the break on a three-pointer by Rock Robinson.
However, the Tigers answered with a 13-0 run to take control of the lead for good. Hobert Grayson had the loudest points in that stretch with a thunderous right-handed slam-dunk on a fast break that started with a steal by RL Mattix on defense.
Zeke Cook gave Northeast, which checks in at No. 22 in the latest National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) poll, a 31-29 advantage on a lay-in two possessions later. He then capped the run moments later with a steal and contested layup on the opposite end of the court.
The Indians cut their deficit to 38-34 at the intermission. But the Tigers increased their lead to double-digits for the first time less than five minutes into the second stanza following an old-fashioned three-point play by Steven Gentry.
Northeast scored 13 of the final 19 points in the contest to pull away. Gentry closed the game with a one-handed jam that brought the Tigers' bench and the raucous crowd to its feet in celebration.
Kylan Blackmon topped all scorers with 23 points on a season-best 9 of 13 effort from the field. It was his fifth overall and third consecutive 20-plus point performance for Northeast.
"It was a really good team win," Blackmon said. "We executed really well. Coach Wright tells me all the time to not settle and get to the free throw line. I did that tonight by being more aggressive."
Jalin Rice and Gentry accumulated 15 points apiece for the Tigers. It was a new career-high for Gentry, who shot 7 of 9 from the floor and added five assists from his point guard position.
"We know (Gentry's) going to be a key cog for us going down the stretch," said Wright. "He went through a little stretch where he struggled, but he kept battling and that's one thing I love about him. He guarded really well and it was good to see."
Ken Lewis posted 12 points while Cook rounded out a group of five double figure scorers for Northeast with 10 points. Cook also grabbed 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the year.
Northeast has now tallied 90 or more points in six of its 10 games so far during the 2021-22 campaign. The Tigers had a season-best 57.9 shooting percentage with 20 assists on 33 total field goals.
The Tigers close out the fall semester portion of their schedule by visiting Motlow State (Tenn.) Community College at 6 p.m. on Monday, December 13. Northeast resumes Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) play after the new year.