SENATOBIA, Miss. - Two members of the Northeast Mississippi Community College men's basketball team registered milestone moments as part of a big rivalry win.
Cord Wright collected his 150th victory as head coach of the Tigers and Kylan Blackmon scored his 500th career point during a 79-68 decision at Northwest Mississippi Community College on Thursday, January 13 at Howard Coliseum.
Wright improved his overall record to a sensational 150-39 in nine seasons at Northeast. He is the first Northeast headman since Mike Lewis, who directed the Tigers from 1992-2004, to reach this landmark triumph.
"It obviously means that I've had really good players. It's a testament to all of them," said Wright. "I'm proud of all the accomplishments we've had and I hope to get 150 more at Northeast."
Point number 500 for Blackmon came on the first of two free throws with 1:07 left in the second half. He is now averaging 15.2 points per game during 33 appearances in a black-and-gold uniform.
The Oxford native is the first Tiger since former NJCAA All-American DeAnthony Tipler, who will continue his career next year at East Tennessee State University, did so during the 2019-20 campaign.
Blackmon was one of three double-digit scorers for Northeast against the Rangers with 13 points. Ken Lewis topped the Tigers for the second consecutive contest with 18 points, including a perfect 7 of 7 ledger at the charity stripe.
Zeke Cook produced his third consecutive double-double since Northeast returned from the Christmas break. He had 15 points and tied a career-high set earlier this season with 20 rebounds.
"I started out slow and was having a bad game," Cook said. "Coach (Wright) believed in me. When it came to the second half, I did everything that I could do. We all played our roles."
The Starkville product had a double-double in the final 20 minutes alone with 13 points and 11 boards as the Tigers (12-2, 4-1) built upon a 32-26 halftime advantage.
Northwest (10-3, 3-2) brought the game into a tie at 56-56 with just over six minutes remaining. However, Northeast scored the next six points in a row to take the lead for good.
The Tigers, who appear at No. 24 in the latest NJCAA rankings, drained 8 of 10 free throws in the final minute to seal the win. Northeast made a season-best 27 free tosses and held the Rangers to a 32 percent showing from the floor.
Northeast continues conference play by welcoming Southwest Mississippi Community College on Tuesday, January 18. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. inside legendary Bonner Arnold Coliseum.