Booneville, Miss. – The Northeast Mississippi Community College basketball programs can make a tremendous statement this week as they arrive at the midway point of the conference schedule.

Holmes Community College visits historic Bonner Arnold Coliseum on Monday, January 26 for a doubleheader that is presented through the 6th Man Club by the Peoples Bank and Trust Company of Ripley.   

The Lady Tigers and Tigers then begin the second half of the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) North Division rotation at East Mississippi Community College three days later.

The women's bout starts on both nights at 5:30 p.m. with the men tipping approximately 20 minutes after the conclusion of the lid lifter.

Those that cannot attend the contests can watch them live on NEMCCTV, which is the new broadcast home of all nine Northeast intercollegiate athletic programs. Join Jeremy Kennedy, the Voice of the Tigers, at 5:15 p.m. for the pregame show by visiting www.nemcctv.com.

Fans can also keep up with all the action using live in-game updates on Twitter by searching and following @NEMCCTigers.

Monday's nightcap pits two of the hottest teams in the entire nation against each other. The Bulldogs have won eight consecutive matchups dating back to early December and currently lead the MACJC North Division with a perfect 5-0 record.

Northeast has claimed two straight come-from-behind victories. The Tigers erased double-digit deficits to defeat archrival Itawamba Community College 63-60 and Coahoma Community College 82-75.

"I think for us it's just we keep grinding," said Northeast head coach Cord Wright. "Our guys are starting to believe in themselves obviously and we defend and rebound pretty well."

It is also a meeting of two of the most prolific scorers in the Magnolia State. Holmes freshman Daryl Macon tops the whole league with 24.6 points per outing while Dimario Jackson is tied for fourth with East Mississippi's Antonio Finley at 18.5.

Jackson registered a career-high 30 points in the Tigers' victory over Coahoma last Thursday and has reached double figures in all but one contest as a sophomore. He is also 15th individually in the country with an 86.7 free throw percentage.

Northeast continues to get solid play in the paint by Corinth products Raheem Sorrell and Dexter Stafford. Sorrell averages 10.9 points each matchup and Stafford grabs a team-high 6.2 rebounds.

Al Azulphar guides the Tigers (11-5, 3-2) with a 63.5 percent mark from the floor and one block per game. Desmin Harris has notched at least 10 points in six of Northeast's last seven tilts as well.

The Bulldogs are shooting exceptionally well from beyond the arc and are 24th among all National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) members with a 39.7 percent ledger. Marcus Washington adds 10.9 points and 5.7 boards for Holmes.

Jahyde Gardiner and La'Datren Deas follow reigning NJCAA Player of the Week Finley with 13.7 and 10.5 points, respectively. The Lions (11-4, 4-1) take advantage of second chance scoring with their 15.9 offensive rebounds each contest.

Likewise, it's a big two-game stretch for Brian Alexander's Lady Tigers. Northeast and the Lady Bulldogs are presently knotted for the fourth place in the conference standings while East Mississippi sits just above both squads in third.

"Those are two excellent ballclubs that are well coached," Alexander said. "I'm confident in the game plan that we'll put into place. We'll have these girls ready to go."

Three-time MACJC Player of the Week selection Aushiana Ivy paces the Lady Tigers (8-8, 2-3) with 16 points and 7.4 rebounds per outing. Bridgejae Patterson joins Ivy in the post and has been solid lately with a double-double average in her past three matchups.

LaKeiya Lane has increased her productivity in the last two months for the Lady Tigers. The Southaven native has attained double-digit numbers in the past 10 games and is among the top 50 three-point shooters in the country with a 40.5 percent tally.

Dashiyah Agnew and Alivia Hughes have blossomed into elite guards as freshman at Northeast. Agnew dishes out a team-best 2.9 assists each contest while Hughes is tied with fellow Clinton High School alumnus Harper Newell with 1.8 steals, which is tops for the Lady Tigers.

Holmes is seventh in the NJCAA with 74.2 field goal attempts per matchup. Aja Williams accounts for 18.2 points for the Lady Bulldogs (11-5, 2-3) and Tiffany Jones nearly tabulates double-double totals with 10.3 points and 8.3 rebounds.

The Lady Lions (7-8, 3-2) snag 30.9 defensive boards on average, which is 18th nationwide. Ki-Ki Patterson remains East Mississippi's most consistent athlete with 13 points.

Northeast split its season series with Holmes one year ago while East Mississippi swept the Lady Tigers and Tigers in Booneville before the holiday break in the league openers for both squads.