ELLISVILLE — Jones College led from the start and defeated East Mississippi 70-63 Tuesday night at A.B. Howard Gymnasium. The Bobcats completed a series sweep over EMCC after a 69-60 win in Scooba on Dec. 11. Jones now stands at 15-3 overall, 4-1 in the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference.
The Lady Lions fell to 3-14 and 0-5 in the conference. Lamarah Cleaves of Tupelo led Jones with 17 points and 14 rebounds, her fourth double-double in five games. Larissa Hubbard of Harrison Central scored 16 points with eight rebounds, and Jakera Ducksworth of West Jones added 15 points and four steals.
Sanyla Smith of Tupelo contributed eight points and six assists. Julissa Claxton of Jackson Murrah posted five points, five rebounds, and four assists. Hubbard’s jumper gave Jones an 11-3 lead with 5:37 remaining in the first quarter. The Bobcats led 13-9 after the opening period. In the second quarter, Cleaves’ layup pushed the lead to 37-18 with less than a minute left, and Jones went into halftime ahead 39-22.
Jones extended its lead in the third quarter, with a 3-pointer from Khalee Harrison of Yazoo County increasing the margin to 53-30 with 5:07 remaining. The Bobcats maintained a 55-39 lead heading into the final quarter. EMCC rallied late, closing the gap to 68-63 with 26 seconds remaining, but Smith sealed the victory with two free throws.
EMCC’s Dukiaha Jones led the Lady Lions with 15 points, while Bailey Siddell added 13 and Kabreyia Garth contributed eight points and 10 rebounds. Jones shot 43% from the field and was perfect from the free-throw line at 16-of-17. EMCC shot 35% and converted 17-of-23 free throws. The Bobcats also outrebounded the Lady Lions 38-36, though Jones committed 19 turnovers compared to 17 for EMCC. Jones is scheduled to play at Holmes College at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
