Booneville, Miss. – Keldrick Lesley's final appearance in his hometown was one that he will remember for years to come.
The 6-1, 150 pound guard scored a career-high 19 points to help Northeast Mississippi Community College defeat Holmes Community College 68-67 in the last home game of the season on Monday at Bonner Arnold Coliseum.
After playing organized basketball for eight straight years beginning in middle school in the "City of Hospitality," Lesley celebrated a dramatic victory over the Bulldogs on sophomore night.
"I was feeling loose and just trying to get that big win," he said. "I'm really going to miss being here. After getting the privilege to play college ball, this is just like my home."
Holmes held as much as a 19-10 advantage after a four-point play by Rodriques Palmer with 12:24 remaining before the break, but Lesley helped the Tigers storm back and take a lead into the locker room.
Darius Leach, Lesley's former Booneville High School teammate, got the rally started with a layup. Lesley followed with a run of five straight points, three of them at the free throw line.
Cameron Shorty then put the Tigers (5-17, 2-9) ahead for the first time since the opening basket of the contest at 23-20 with back-to-back makes in the paint.
The Bulldogs quickly regained the lead, but Lesley knocked down a three-pointer that put Northeast up for the remainder of the half.
Holmes looked to carry the momentum into the intermission, though, after Jarvis Williams hit an off-balanced trey with three seconds and counting on the clock.
But Leach quickly inbounded the basketball to Dimario Jackson, who heaved a 70-foot attempt from beyond half court that was nothing but net. The buzzer beater sent the home crowd into a frenzy and gave the Tigers a 39-35 lead.
"That was really big," said Northeast head coach Cord Wright. "It gave our guys some confidence at halftime and it gives you a little room in the second half obviously when you have some extra points to make a couple of errors like we did and still find yourself with a one-point win."
The Tigers used the extra energy from Jackson's amazing shot to lunge ahead by double digits at 61-50 with 7:41 on the clock after a Leach make from behind the arc off a Lesley assist.
Johnson got the Bulldogs (11-10, 3-7) right back into the matchup, however, and pushed his squad in front by a score of 67-64 with two straight baskets late in the contest.
A Jackson uncontested layup cut Northeast's deficit to 67-66 with 12 seconds remaining to set up what would be the winning play for the Tigers.
Following a timeout by Wright, Holmes inbounded the ball in front of the Northeast bench. A great double team by Jackson and Shorty forced an errant Holmes pass to try and beat a 10-second backcourt violation.
Tyre Mallard intercepted the ball and lofted up a floater from the free throw line that went through the net to put the Tigers ahead.
"It was just a blessing," said Mallard. "As I played defense I just prayed that we got the steal and I did so I made the big play for the night. I wanted to get this big win for our sophomores tonight."
The Bulldogs had one last opportunity, but both of their rushed shot opportunities before the clock reached all zeros did not touch the rim and Northeast clinched a great Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) North Division triumph.
"It was a wonderful night all the way around," Wright said. "I thought the crowd was wonderful and the support was there. No better way to go out than with a win."
Jackson, a freshman from Brusly, La., was just behind Lesley with 16 points while Shorty tied a career-high with 14 on 6 of 10 shooting.
The Tigers were a season-best 56.8 percent overall from the floor. Leach also had a tremendous game with nine points, four assists and three steals.
Wright and Holmes coach Jason Flanigan collaborated to let two injured Tigers, Marcus Hogan and Reggie Patterson, get the start in their final hurrah at Bonner Arnold Coliseum. The Bulldogs conceded the opening tip to Shorty and Wright called timeout to allow Hogan and Patterson to exit the court to an ovation from the crowd and their teammates.
Johnson led all scorers with 20 and Palmer added 11 points for the Bulldogs, who shot 48 percent from the field. Both squads were a solid 82.4 percent at the charity stripe.
(W) Northeast 83, Holmes 77
Antionette Riddle was tasked with guarding Carmesha Nalls, who scored 33 points and hit the game-winner against the Lady Tigers at Holmes last month.
Consider the mission accomplished after the Tupelo product all but halted Nalls in her tracks. Nalls scored a season-worst two points on a 1 of 10 shooting performance, 0 of 7 from three-point range.
"I just watched the film and it was me playing poor defense on her," Riddle said of the earlier meeting between the two star guards. "I just knew I had to stop her from doing that today."
Riddle also set the tone on offense for Northeast with 24 points on an 8 of 12 night from the floor and 8 of 10 effort at the free throw line. She has now scored 10-plus points in 17 straight outings.
"Antionette's had a really good career here," said Lady Tigers headman Brian Alexander. "She's gotten better every month she's been here and she's also a really good person.
"I'm serious when I say somebody at the university level that takes a chance on her, she's going to make them a good player and improve their program to a level where they want it to be."
Two freshmen joined Riddle in double figures in Teresa Mays with 20 points and Daisha Williams at 14. Northeast (7-15, 2-9) shot 40.6 percent overall and 37.5 percent from beyond the arc.
The Lady Tigers quickly built a healthy lead by scoring 17 of the initial 23 points of the matchup. Riddle tallied eight quick points as Northeast held a 17-6 advantage just five minutes into the contest.
A 10-2 spurt that included back-to-back treys by Mays helped the Lady Tigers push their advantage to as large as 18 points, but Holmes fought back and cut its deficit to 46-36 at halftime.
Northeast maintained its double-digit lead for the majority of the latter period, but the Lady Bulldogs used a late run to come as close as 77-74 with 1:04 to play after a Desirae Harris basket.
But the Lady Tigers were 19 of 24 at the charity stripe after the break, including a perfect 6 of 6 mark with under a minute on the clock, to seal the victory for sophomores Angelia Allen, Kierra Erby, Katie Foster, Kiki Gwyn and Riddle.
"Winning is positive and we needed one very badly," Alexander said. "We tell our team we're going to glorify God when we win and praise Him when we lose, so we give God all the praise and glory."
The Lady Tigers forced Holmes into a season-high 30 turnovers. Twenty of those mistakes were Northeast steals with Gwyn and Riddle grabbing five apiece.
Brandi Carter topped the Lady Bulldogs (6-16, 3-8) with 25 points. LaShonda Wilson notched 17 while Tayanna Purnell added 10.
Northeast will wrap up the 2013-14 basketball campaign this Thursday (February 20) with a trip to Mississippi Delta Community College. Women's tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. with the men at approximately 8 p.m. in Moorhead.