Booneville, Miss. – The Northeast Mississippi Community College basketball teams return to conference action this week with a pair of huge rivalry matchups.
The Lady Tigers and Tigers welcome Northwest Mississippi Community College on Tuesday, January 12 and then make the short trek to Itawamba Community College two days later.
The doubleheader against Northwest is designated as black out games presented by Renasant Bank. Fans are encouraged to support both Northeast squads by wearing black attire to legendary Bonner Arnold Coliseum for the first home contests of the new year.
Those that cannot attend either night can watch live on NEMCCTV, which is the broadcast home of all nine Northeast intercollegiate athletic programs. Join Jeremy Kennedy, the Voice of the Tigers, 15 minutes prior to tipoff of the women's tilt for the pregame show by visiting www.nemcctv.com on any computer, smartphone or tablet.
Search and follow @NEMCCTigers on Twitter for live in-game updates and interact during the contests by using the hashtag #TigerPower across all social media platforms.
The Tigers face a pivotal test against the Rangers, who are tied with Northeast for first place in the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) North Division standings. Both squads are also receiving votes in the latest National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) rankings.
Wesley Harris guides the Tigers (9-3, 2-0) offensively with 19.1 points per outing. The Callaway High School graduate is also outstanding defensively with team-high averages of 7.2 rebounds and one block.
Leroy Buchanan of Madison Central High School is another catalyst for Northeast. He is the top free throw shooter for the Tigers with a 75.3 percent ledger and totals 16.9 points each matchup.
Northeast has three other athletes that fall slightly below double figures, including sophomore Desmin Harris. The Corinth native garners 9.8 points and is solid from three-point range at 43.5 percent.
Northwest (9-3, 2-0) is leading the country in free throw attempts per game with 35.7 and is third in makes from the charity stripe at 22.1. Seth LeDay is third in the Magnolia State in scoring slightly ahead of Harris at 19.8 points.
The Indians are winners of three consecutive contests dating back to the month of December. Itawamba (8-5, 1-1) has three players in double digits with Quenten Taylor heading that group with 14.8 points.
"It's a fun and exciting time for the players," said Tigers headman Cord Wright. "There is an extra excitement and feel to practice and game preparation. There is a little more bounce to our step. I look forward to two great games this week."
Brenda Mayes, who is in the middle of her inaugural season as the head coach of Northeast's women, likewise anticipates an unbelievable environment at both locations.
"The atmosphere is just different," she said. "We're trying to prepare for those games. Our goal is to concentrate on the first one and then we'll have a day to focus on Itawamba."
Shelby Wilbanks has been terrific for the Lady Tigers halfway through her freshman campaign. The Walnut product has five double-doubles and is sixth in the MACJC with 18.1 points per matchup.
Bridgejae Patterson is coming off a phenomenal 27-rebound performance at Jackson State (Tenn.) Community College. The reigning MACJC Player of the Week has compiled nearly identical numbers of 11.3 points and 11.2 boards.
Baldwyn's Timaya Stewart is third for Northeast (6-6, 1-1) with 9.5 points each outing. Dashiyah Agnew of Booneville handles the ball nicely and also dishes out 4.9 assists per contest.
The Lady Rangers (7-2, 1-1) are fifth in the NJCAA with 19.1 made free shots and eighth at 9.1 three-pointers on average. Janesha Johnson paces five double-digit scorers for Northwest with 16.8 points.
The Lady Indians are balanced throughout their roster with no player scoring more than 10 points each game. Itawamba (10-3, 2-0) holds its opponents to a 34.9 field goal percentage, which is the lowest mark in the state.