Allen gets 200th win at MCC

-IN TEN YEARS AT THE HELM, ALLEN AVERAGES 20 WINS PER SEASON

(MERIDIAN) - Wednesday night's Miss-Lou Tournament Championship game was not only a big win for the Meridian Community College women's basketball team, it was also a milestone for their coach.

Lady Eagle head basketball coach, Hilary Allen, has averaged 20 wins over the past decade for MCC.

Allen, who came to Meridian in 2000, had a combined record of 55-8 during his first two campaigns with the Lady Eagles. He set a school record for most wins in a season with 29 victories in '01-'02.

The next two years were a struggle as MCC entered into the MACJC Conference and recruiting restrictions were placed on MCC. The '02-'03 and '03-'04 seasons produced a 25-25 record for the Lady Eagles.

Things rebounded over the next three years for MCC. The Lady Eagles won 17 games each season starting in '04-'05 as Allen began his streak of advancing to the Region 23 Tournament in 2004 and currently has a six year consecutive streak, which is the longest current streak for any women's basketball team in Region 23.

The Lady Eagles have advanced to the Region 23 Tournament in 8 out of the past 10 years under Allen. In '06-'07 the Lady Eagles finished that season in the championship game of the Region 23 Tournament. The MCC women missed out on advancing to the NJCAA National Tournament and finished in the runner-up position. The '07-'08 season saw a new streak begin, as the Lady Eagles won 23 games that year starting a string of consecutive seasons with 20 or more victories. With 20-plus wins this season, that streak is three consecutive seasons.

That '07-'08 season also started another streak as the Lady Eagles have now won a championship title in each of the last three seasons. The Lady Eagles captured the South Division of the MACJC championship in '08 in route to a runner-up finish in the MACJC Tournament. The Lady Eagles have now captured the Miss-Lou Conference Tournament Championship for the past two years.

In '08-'09, the Lady Eagles won 22 games and the Miss-Lou Conference regular season championship title. The current team defeated this year's Miss-Lou regular season champs, Baton Rouge Community College, 83-66 Wednesday to capture the Miss-Lou Conference Tournament title.

MCC's women are now 24-6 on the year. Coach Allen will be looking for his 201st victory Monday when he leads the Lady Eagles into the Region 23 Tournament in Clinton, MS.