Northeast Mississippi edges Southwest Mississippi in defensive down-to-the-wire game
The Northeast Mississippi Tigers edged the Southwest Mississippi Bears 74-72 in Booneville on February 12 in a tight men’s basketball contest. The game was characterized by strong defense and late-game drama.
Courterius Scott opened the scoring with a three-pointer, but both teams struggled offensively in the first half. The Tigers built a small lead of 21-12 with 10:35 remaining before the Bears rallied. A 14-point run by Scott and Cy Merrett, along with a three from Chidi Nwosu, brought Southwest within four at halftime, with the score 33-29 in favor of Northeast.
Scott and Merrett continued their scoring surge in the second half, with the pair accounting for 12 of the Bears’ first 14 points after halftime. Scott hit back-to-back threes, and Nwosu made a three to tie the game 48-48 with 13:23 remaining. A steal and Nwosu’s basket gave Southwest its first lead since early in the game.
The lead changed hands seven more times in the final 12 minutes before Northeast scored what proved to be the game-winning basket with six seconds left. Southwest had a final opportunity to tie or win, but Nwosu’s putback attempt rimmed out as the buzzer sounded, sealing a 74-72 victory for the Tigers.
Scott led all scorers with 25 points, going perfect from beyond the arc. Merrett added 20 points, including 12 free throws. Head coach Corey Schmidt acknowledged the effort, citing missed free throws and crucial plays as factors in the loss. “Thought it was a well-played game by both teams. It came down to one possession, and we didn’t make the shot at the end, but there were other plays we didn’t execute well,” Schmidt said. “Thirteen missed free throws is tough in a game like this.”
Schmidt also praised the team’s defensive performance, noting improvement after holding opponents to just nine points in the first half of a previous game. “We have to stay consistent offensively, but defensively we’re starting to click,” he added. The Bears, now 12-13 overall and 6-3 in conference, host Northwest Mississippi on Monday.
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