The MCC Athletics Blog

Officially the "unofficial" MCC Athletic Blog; created for all Eagle fans- so that they can keep tabs of their favorite JuCo team.

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Tuesday

MCC basketball travels to Selma


The Meridian Community College basketball teams look to continue their winning streaks Wednesday night when the Eagles and Lady Eagles travel to Selma, AL to face Wallace-Selma Community College.

The Lady Eagles are coming of an 81-74 victory Monday night over in-state opponent, Northeast Mississippi Community College.

MCC’s women, led by coach Hilary Allen, are 7-3 on the season and have put together a three game winning streak heading into their re-match with Wallace-Selma.

The Lady Eagles defeated the Lady Patriots by 21 points back on Nov. 3 in the season opener, 90-69.

Meanwhile the Eagles, under first year head coach Jeff Walker, are enjoying quite a turnaround season from last year.

MCC’s men are 8-1 on the season and have won five consecutive games, including wins over in-state foes- Jones County Junior College and Northeast Mississippi Community College.

The Eagles look to make it six straight when the play their re-match game with the Patriots, MCC defeated Wallace-Selma 88-68 in their season opener, also played on Nov. 3.

Tip off from Selma is slated for 5:30 pm for the women and 7:30 pm for the men.

MCC will then return home for a double-header Saturday when they host Mid-South Community College (2 pm – women, 4 pm – men).

Monday

MCC men defeat NE Mississippi


The Meridian Community College Eagles, under the direction of first year head coach Jeff Walker, have now extended their winning streak to five after a 76-69 win over Northeast Mississippi Community College.

The Eagles led by two points at halftime, 31-29. MCC then owned a five point advantage in the final half, 45-40 for the 76-69 win.

MCC was led by four players in double digits with points. Brandon Battle scored 17 points, Trent Tucker had 14 points, Nick Watkins had 11 points, and Travis Fredimon had 10 points. Watkins had a double double with 12 rebounds, Fredimon also had a double double with 10 rebounds.

Northeast Mississippi was led by John David Little who had 19 points.

MCC improved to 8-1 and will be in action Wednesday when they travel to Wallace Selma, a team they defeated in the season opener, 88-68.

Lady Eagles defeat Northeast Mississippi


(MERIDIAN) – The Meridian Community College Lady Eagles were once again led by former Northeast Lauderdale standout, freshman Norianna Haynes, who scored 23 points Monday night to give MCC their seventh win on the season. The Lady Eagles defeated in-state opponent Northeast Mississippi Community College 81-74 Monday night in the Graham Gymnasium.

MCC improved to 7-3 on the season and have now won three straight games.

Haynes, who had six rebounds, four assist and three steals, led MCC with 23 points, fellow freshman Arnissa Galloway notched a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman Chasity Kearny also scored in double figures for the Lady Eagles with 20 points.

MCC led by two points at the half, 39-37 then outscored the Lady Tigers 42-37 in the second half for an 81-74 victory.

Northeast Mississippi was led by Amber Johnson who scored a game-high 26 points.

MCC will return to action Wednesday when they travel to Wallace Selma, a team MCC defeated in the season opener, 90-69.

MCC Christmas Break Baseball Camp


Meridian Community College will host a baseball camp during the Christmas Break at Scaggs Field on the MCC campus.

The camp will begin on Monday, December 27 and run through Wednesday, December 30 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. each day.

Ages 5 years old to 14 years old are eligible to participate in the Christmas Break Baseball Camp.

The Christmas Break All-Skills Camp is structured for the young player who wants to learn the proper fundamentals in all aspects of the game. Each morning MCC coaches will teach the fundamentals through drills and repetition. Then after lunch, the campers will be taught how to play baseball through game situations. MCC youth camps are coached by selected players from the Eagle baseball team as well as the MCC coaching staff.

Camp fees are: $100 if pre-registered by Dec. 21 or $120 if registered after Dec. 21, lunch is included.

For more information about the camp or to register: please contact head baseball coach Chris Curry at ccurry1@meridiancc.edu or call 601-484-8670.

Mail forms to Meridian C.C., Attn: Chris Curry, 910 HWY 19 N, Meridian, MS 39307

MCC Basketball Looks To Continue Winning Streaks Tonight


Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams at Meridian Community College will ride winning streaks into tonight’s match-up with in-state opponent Northeast Mississippi Community College.

After losing to Jones Country Junior College, the Lady Eagles went undefeated at the Georgia Perimeter Classic over Thanksgiving Break to move their record to 6-3.

In game one of the tournament, MCC defeated Spartanburg Methodist College 89-80 in overtime. Freshman Norianna Haynes led the Lady Eagles with 30 points, while freshman Chasity Kearney scored her career-high of 25 points in the overtime victory. Sophomore Tay Odneal added 11 points, while Haynes dished out 9 assists. Shana Lampton pulled 10 rebounds for MCC.

Asia Mitchell led Spartanburg Methodist with 16 points.

The Lady Eagles made it two in a row when they defeated Walters State Community College 65-60 in their final game of the Georgia Perimeter Classic.

Once again, Haynes led the Lady Eagles with 21 points, while Kearney scored 14 points. Lampton had 11 rebounds, while Haynes dished out 8 assists for MCC in the victory.

April McCann, Ashley Thurman and Portia Durrett each led Walters State with 12 points.

Back home, the MCC men continued their winning streak over the holiday break, with a 108-75 win over New Horizon on Saturday.

With the win, the Eagles improved their record to 7-1 on the season and will ride a four game winning streak into tonight’s contest.

The Lady Eagles tip off against NE Mississippi at 6 p.m. while the Eagles tip off at 8 p.m.

The games are being played in MCC’s Graham Gymnasium. Live audio can be found at www.meridiancc.edu/sports (click “live sports feed”) or Northeast Mississippi’s broadcast at here (http://www.teamline.cc/free_listen?teamcode=1452&eventcode=7&status=PFU ).

Cliff Lee and Ron Polk set to highlight MCC Baseball Banquet



The Meridian Community College baseball program has announced that the "Meet the Eagles" Fundraiser Banquet has been scheduled for Monday, January 24. The event will begin at 7:00 p.m. and take place in Countiss Hall on the Mississippi State University-Meridian campus.

The event will feature two baseball greats as former MCC pitcher and current Major League Baseball pitcher, Cliff Lee, and former Mississippi State head baseball coach, Ron Polk, are scheduled to appear.

Lee will be honored as a special guest and have his Eagle jersey retired. He will also have a one hour autograph signing in Graham gymnasium on the MCC campus on Monday, January 24 from 4:00-5:00 p.m. Each person will be allowed two autographs only and no pictures will be taken.

Polk, who won five SEC championships and guided his teams to the NCAA tournament 21 times, including eight trips to the College World Series, will serve as the featured speaker.

Tickets are available: $50 for adults, $25 for kids (12 and under), and corporate tables will be available for $500. Tickets can be bought at the MCC Baseball Office (Make checks payable to the MCC Foundation/Baseball).

For more information please contact MCC head baseball coach Chris Curry at ccurry1@meridiancc.edu or call (601) 484-8670.

MCC men win shootout over Jones County, 113-107


(MERIDIAN) - The Meridian Community College men won their third consecutive ballgame Moonday night as they defeated in-state rival, Jones Country Junior College.

MCC led at the half, 61-55.

The Eagles then matched the Bobcats 52-52 in the second half to win a high scoring affair, 113-107.

The Eagles were led by freshman Deangelo Priar and sophomore Emmanuel Donald. Priar had 29 points and 5 rebounds while Donald had 24 points and 5 rebounds.

Freshman Travis Fredimon had 19 points and freshman Pierre Crawford added 12 points for the Eagles.

Jones County’s Brandon Givens led all scorers with 32 points.

With the win, MCC improves to 6-1 on the season and will face New Horizon on Saturday in the Graham Gymnasium at 2:00 p.m.

Lady Eagles fall to Jones County 87-85


(MERIDIAN) - The Meridian Community College Lady Eagles entered Monday night’s contest with in-state rival Jones County Junior College looking for their third consecutive win.

MCC looked to be in control most of the game as the Lady Eagles had a double-digit lead at half, 47-37 over Jones County.

However the visiting Lady Bobcats kept chipping away at MCC’s lead and with less than :90 seconds to play finally tied up the ballgame at 83-83.

MCC and Jones traded the lead until the Lady Bobcats made a basket with :16.8 left in the game which gave Jones County a two point lead, 87-85.

After a time out called by MCC head coach Hilary Allen, MCC’s Norianna Haynes passed the ball to Arnissa Galloway underneath the basket. Galloway missed her first attempt, gathered the rebound and missed again as the clock expired and left MCC two points shy of Jones County, 87-85.

Sophomore Tanecka Carney, for Jones County, led all scorers with 34 points. Carney also collected 8 rebounds, and had 3 steals.

For Meridian, former Northeast Lauderdale standout, Norianna Haynes led the way with 30 points. Haynes also had 4rebounds on the night. Fellow freshman, Chasity Kearney had 25 points and 11 rebounds for the game’s only double-double.

Jones County improved to 4-2 and will host East Mississippi Monday in Ellisville.

With the loss, MCC falls to 4-3 and will be in action again on Friday and Saturday in Atlanta at the Georgia Perimeter College Tournament.

MCC sweeps Coahoma


Next game: Tonight, 6/8 pm vs. Jones County Junior College

Lady Eagles 76
Coahoma 69


Meridian Community College freshman, Norianna Haynes, led the Lady Eagles with 26 points on Saturday night as MCC defeated Coahoma Community College on the road, 76-69.

Freshmen Chasity Kearney scored her career-high of 19 points, freshman Arnissa Galloway had 11 rebounds, while sophomore Bianca Powell dished out 8 assists for MCC.

Kandi Granger led Coahoma with 25 points.

With the win, the Lady Eagles improved to 4-2 and look to continue their two game winning streak tonight as they host in-state rival Jones County Junior College at 6 p.m. in the Graham Gymnasium.

Eagles 91
Coahoma 82


MCC’s men were led by freshman Travis Fredimon who scored a career-high of 23 points to lead the Eagles to their first road victory of the season, a 91-82 win at Coahoma.

Sophomore Emmanuel Donald added 18 points, while freshmen Trent Tucker and Deangelo Priar each added 10 points for MCC.

Rashad Harris scored 24 points for Coahoma.

The Eagles, now 5-1 on the season, will host Jones County tonight at 8 p.m. in the Graham Gymnasium.

Friday

Lady Eagles defeat Faulkner State, 77-56

The Meridian Community College Lady Eagles improved their record to 3-2 with an impressive 77-56 win on the road at Faulkner State Community College on Thursday night.

The Lady Eagles will look to stay undefeated on the road this season in their second road game Saturday as they travel to face in-state opponent, Coahoma Community College.

Both the Eagles (4-1) and Lady Eagles (3-2) will travel to Coahoma tomorrow. The women tip off at 4 p.m. while them men tip-off at 6 p.m.

MCC will then return home for an in-state battle with nearby Jones County Junior College on Monday (6 p.m./8 p.m.).

Thursday

Lady Eagles travel to Faulkner State


The Meridian Community College Lady Eagles (2-2) look to snap a two game skid as they travel to Faulkner State Community College tonight for a 6 p.m. tip-off.

MCC started the season with back-to-back wins over Wallace-Selma and Bishop State then dropped a pair of games against in-state rival- East Mississippi and perennial power- Georgia Perimeter.

The Faulkner State trip will be the first of a two road games for the Lady Eagles (tonight at Faulkner State and Saturday at Coahoma ) before they return home Monday to face another in-state foe, Jones County Junior College at 6 p.m.

Meanwhile, the Eagles (4-1) will take their first road trip to Coahoma Community College on Saturday for a 6 p.m. tip-off. MCC’s men will also face Jones County on Monday (8 p.m.) in the Graham Gymnasium.

Monday

MCC national champion golfer, Brandt Garon, inks with Louisiana-Lafayette


(MERIDIAN, Miss.) - Meridian Community College sophomore golfer, Brandt Garon, has signed a national letter of intent with the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, becoming the twenty-fourth Eagle to sign with a four-year school since 1995.

Garon, a Baton Rouge La. native, signed with MCC in 2009 and made an immediate impact for head coach Sean Covich and the Eagles.

During his freshman season, Garon set six school records en route to becoming the program’s first individual NJCAA Division I national champion as he lead the Eagles to a national runner up finish in just their second season at the Division I level.

Garon was named to the All America, All Region and All Freshmen teams by the Golf Coaches Association of America. In addition the National Junior College Athletic Association named him a First Team All America selection.

Following his national medalist title, the GCAA announced that Garon was the recipient of the prestigious Arnold Palmer Award as the best junior college golfer in the nation.

During his time at MCC, Garon has shot even par or lower a remarkable 25 time of out of his 43 career rounds. His career scoring average is a school record best at even par (72.1), with a current under par average of 71.9 his sophomore season. He was won four tournament titles as an individual, including the NJCAA Division I National Championship. He has been named to eight career all tournament teams. During his 43 rounds as a starter for MCC, the Eagles have counted his score a remarkable 43 times, making his 100% contribution rate the highest in school history.

“Brandt has done remarkable things here at MCC,” said head golf coach Sean Covich.

“He came here with two goals- to compete for championships and to sign with a NCAA DI school. I am proud of Brandt and how he has represented us on and off the golf course, he has been a pleasure to coach and I look forward to watching him compete his final semester for us this spring.”

Next August, Garon will join former MCC All America golfer, Garrett Westbrook, who played for Covich in 2008-2010. Westbrook is currently a junior on the ULL golf team.

The Ragin’ Cajuns are coached by Theo Sliman who has been at the helm for three seasons. ULL competes at the NCAA Division I level and is a member of the Sun-Belt Conference.

The Eagles, currently ranked No. 2 in the nation, begin their spring season February at Rock Creek Golf Club in Fairhope, AL for the Faulkner State Spring Invitational.

MCC defeats Marion; Robinson, Watkins score 20


(MERIDIAN) - Sophomores Rashad Robinson and Nick Watkins, both scored a game-high of 20 points to lead the Meridian Community College men to a 96-88 overtime victory over Marion Military Institute on Saturday.

Travis Fredimon scored 18 points for the Eagles, while Emmanuel Donald added 15 points. Trent Tucker added 10 points for MCC.

Melvin Brooks scored all of his 16 points in the second half for Marion.

The Eagles, now 4-1, will travel to Coahoma on Saturday for a 5:00 p.m. game.

Lady Eagles drop game against Georgia Perimeter


(MERIDIAN) - Freshman Norianna Haynes led the Meridian Community College with 21 points Saturday against perennial powerhouse Georgia Perimeter, but the home-standing Lady Eagles could not overcome the Lady Jaguars. Georgia Perimeter defeated MCC 80-75.

Led by Haynes, MCC also got help from Arnissa Galloway, who added 14 points, and Chasity Kearney who added 12 points. Bianca Powell scored 11 points for MCC.

Tiya Johnson led Georgia Perimeter with a game-high of 22 points.

The Lady Eagles (2-2) will travel to Faulkner State on Thursday for a 6:00 p.m. game.

Saturday

MCC Golf ends fall season as #3 ranked team in the nation


NJCAA Div I Men's Golf National Poll

(MERIDIAN) - The Meridian Community College golf team enjoyed one of the most successful fall golf seasons in school history, and the national polls have taken notice.

The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) released their men’s golf division I coaches poll yesterday and the MCC Eagles are ranked No.3, moving three spots up from last months poll when they were sixth.

“It’s nice to be recognized nationally as one of the top programs in the county,” said fifth year head coach, Sean Covich.

“I think at one point in both the computer rankings (GolfStat.com) and the coaches poll (NJCAA) we were ranked No. 1, but again- rankings don’t mean a whole lot, but final scores do.”

Coming off a National Championship runner-up season in 2010, the Eagles entered the fall season with high expectations…. and delivered.

MCC set two school record en route to a season opening victory at the Wallace State Fall Invitational back on September 13-14. The Eagles blistered the Cullman Golf Course with a school record 14-under par, 274 team score in round two of the Wallace State Invite. Freshman Easton Key set a new MCC record for lowest individual round with a 7-under par 65 as MCC went on to win both the team title and the individual medalist title. MCC’s Brandt Garon won in a playoff over Wallace State’s Dean Rikard to capture his third individual title as an Eagle. Garon and Key were both named to the all tournament team.

The Eagles then returned home at the end of September to host the annual Jim Redgate Invitational at Briarwood Country Club. Despite struggling in the opening round, the Eagles were still in contention after a tournament low 3-under team score of 285. MCC ended the event just a mere four shots off the leaders and claimed a third place finish as sophomore Adam Monsen led the Eagles with rounds of 72-76-68 to earn an all tournament team award.

MCC then hit the road in mid-October to face NCAA team, Millsaps College in a one day match at Lake Caroline Golf Club. It was no contest as MCC dominated Millsaps for a 30 stroke victory, 283 (-5) to 313 (+25). The Eagles were led by freshman Jake Stirling who posted a 3-under par 69 to win medalist honors. Six Eagles posted round of even par or lower in the match.

Meridian then returned to Madison at the end of October for the Lake Caroline Collegiate Invitational, which featured all NCAA or NAIA four year university teams, and MCC. 14 teams from six different states were entered in the event. MCC dominated for a 14-shot victory over the University of Texas-Tyler. The Eagles also defeated in-state schools: Belhaven University, Millsaps College and Mississippi College, along with national programs like the University of New Orleans, University of Texas-Tyler and Shorter University. MCC was led by sophomore Clemens Dvorak who shot 72-73 and ended in third place out of 80 golfers. Dvorak, along with Brandt Garon, Easton Key and Jake Stirling were named to the all tournament team.

On November 1-2 MCC traveled to Willow Point Golf Club in Alex City, AL for the NJCAA District IV Preview, featuring all the NJCAA DI teams from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The Eagles were just four shots shy of the team title, but one again had sophomore Brandt Garon capture a medalist title. The Baton Rouge native shot 7-under par (70-67-72) in very difficult conditions on the 7,256 yard layout to win by two strokes.

The Eagles then wrapped up their fall season at the Holiday Inn Invitational in Gulfport at Windance County Club. MCC looked to defend their title, in 2009 the Eagles dominated the event winning by 16 stokes over South Mountain Community College out of Phoenix, Ariz. MCC entered the final day in third, nine shots back of first place. The Eagles then went out and shot the lowest score on Tuesday, a 2-over par 290, to claim runner-up and finish just two shots behind tournament champion- Central Alabama. Individually, MCC was lead by the freshman duo of Easton Key and Jake Stirling who were both named to the All Tournament Team after shooting 1-under par for the event. Key posted rounds of 69-74 while Stirling had 74-69.

MCC ended the fall season with three wins, one runner-up and two third palace finishes in six events. MCC went 49-5 versus all competition and was just 10 shots away from going undefeated in the fall season. They return to action Feb 21-22 at Rock Creek Golf Club in Fairhope, AL for the Faulkner State Spring Invitational.

East Mississippi takes convincing sweep of Meridian


By Robby Atkinson / Special to The Star
The Meridian Star
Fri Nov 12, 2010


MERIDIAN — The East Mississippi Community College Lions took the short drive down Highway 45 Thursday night to face its long time foe MCC and walked away with all smiles. The Lions earned the sweep of the Meridian Community College Eagles at Graham Gynasium in front of a packed house with the EMCC women defeating the Lady Eagles 86-71 and the EMCC men taking a 94-74 to complete the road sweep.

The East Mississippi Lady Lions opened the night with tough zone defense and hot first half shooting to give MCC its first loss of the 2010 season. The Lady Eagles opened the season with impressive wins over Wallace-Selma and Bishop State, but found difficulties against the Lady Lions. EMCC took a 37-21 lead at the end of the first half and was led by Natalie Tate with nine points in the first. Raven Howard also chipped in with eight first half points off the East Mississippi bench. The Lady Eagles struggled shooting from the floor in the first half and went on a shooting drought that spanned over six minutes. Norianna Haynes was the only spark offensivley for MCC in the first half with six points and Arnissa Galloway also had six points in the opening period for the Lady Eagles.

MCC (3-1) tried to mount a comeback in the second half and eventually cut the EMCC lead to 47-29 with 15:04 left in the game. Kayla Hawkins drilled a three point shot and Haynes hit a pair of buckets to draw the Lady Eagles to within striking distance. MCC would never get any closer than nine points and dropped the 86-71 loss at the hands of East Mississippi.

Chadisty Hickman led all scorers with 21 points for East Mississippi and 15 of those points came in the second half. Howard ended the game with 12 points off the bench for the Lady Lions and Kiara Quinones ended her night with 12 points and 10 of those points came in the second half of play.

Haynes led the Lady Eagles in the scoring department with 25 points and Bianca Powell had a great second half shooting and ended the evening with 15 points and 11 of those came in the final half. MCC returns to action this Saturday at home against Georgia Perimeter at 2 p.m. EMCC will host East Central next Monday at 5:30 in Scobba.



EMCC 94
MCC 74


The Lions completed the sweep of MCC with an impressive second half of perimeter shooting to earn the 20 point road victory. East Mississippi lead 35-29 at the end of the first half, but ran away in the second half due to great shooting from sophmore guard Deonte Alexnader. The Nashiville, TN native ended the night with 32 points and hit four straight three point field goals in the opening minutes of the second half for the Lions.

Former Meridian High standout Donovan Walker had a solid night shooting the ball for the Lions with 18 points and Joe McCoy came in with 12 points in the road win for EMCC. Pierre Crawford led the Eagles in scoring with 20 points and Nick Watkins added 13 points in the home setback for Meridian.

EMCC improved to 4-0 for the season and MCC suffered its first defeated of the 2010-2011 season and dropped its record to 3-1. MCC will return to action this Saturday at home against Marion Institue at 4 p.m. EMCC will host East Central next Monday at 7:30 p.m.

Thursday

Battle of Highway 45


MCC takes on EMCC tonight 6/8 pm

The Meridian Community College basketball teams will play host to in-state rival, East Mississippi Community College tonight.

The Lady Eagles take on EMCC at 6 p.m. MCC is 2-0 while EMCC is 1-2.

The men’s game will feature two unbeaten teams as MCC and EMCC both roll into tonight’s matchup at 3-0.

The men tip-off at 8 p.m.

The game will be featured live on http://www.ustream.tv/channel/mcc-sports for those not able to attend.

Tuesday

Eagles improve to 3-0, defeat Southern Sports 107-95


Freshman Deangelo Priar led the Eagles in scoring with a game-high 20 points Monday night as MCC’s men defeated Southern Sports Academy, 107-95.

MCC improved to 3-0 on the season.

Sophomore Emmanuel Donald had 18 points, sophomore Raynorris Cager scored his career high of 14 points, while Edrico McGregor added 11 points. Travis Fredimon added 10 points for MCC. Adrian Fields led Southern with 18 points.

The Eagles and undefeated (2-0) Lady Eagles will host rival- East Mississippi Community College on Thursday at 6:00 & 8:00 p.m. in the Graham Gymnasium.


Freshman Deangelo Priar led the Eagles in scoring with a game-high 20 points Monday night as MCC’s men defeated Southern Sports Academy, 107-95.

MCC improved to 3-0 on the season.

Sophomore Emmanuel Donald had 18 points, sophomore Raynorris Cager scored his career high of 14 points, while Edrico McGregor added 11 points. Travis Fredimon added 10 points for MCC. Adrian Fields led Southern with 18 points.

The Eagles and undefeated (2-0) Lady Eagles will host rival- East Mississippi Community College on Thursday at 6:00 & 8:00 p.m. in the Graham Gymnasium.

MCC Soccer has three sophomores named All Region


The Meridian Community College soccer program had three players recently named to the NJCAA All Region 23 Team.

Valentino Fogo and Leon Powell, both sophomores on the men’s team, and Kelsey Edwards, a sophomore for the women’s team, were named All Region.

Fogo and Powell, both from Kingston, Jamaica, started at striker every game for the Eagles this past season. Fogo had 15 goals and 5 assist while Powell compiled 19 goals and 9 assist for MCC.

Edwards, from Byram, MS, started at striker for the LadY Eagles this year and compiled 15 goals and 7 assist.

MCC claims runner up, Key, Stirling named All Tournament Team


(Gulfport, Miss.) - The Meridian Community College golf team claimed runner up at the Holiday Inn Invitational on Tuesday at Windance Country Club in Gulfport.

The Eagles entered the final day in third, nine shots back of first place. MCC shot the lowest score on Tuesday, a 2-over par 290, to claim runner-up and finish just two shots behind tournament champion- Central Alabama.

Central Alabama finished with 581 (290-291), MCC had 583 (293-290) to claim second while South Mountain out of Phoenix, AZ finished third with 584 (284-300), Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and Mississippi Gulf Coast rounded out the top five in a two way tie for fifth with 602. 17 teams and 86 players participated in the event.

Individually, MCC was lead by the freshman duo of Easton Key and Jake Stirling who were both named to the All Tournament Team after shooting 1-under par for the event.

Key posted rounds of 69-74 while Stirling had 74-69.

Freshman Alex Grannon shot 3-over for the tournament with rounds of 76-71. Sophomore Brandt Garon shot 6-over with rounds of 74-76, sophomore Clemens Dvorak finished 14-over with rounds of 77-81. Sophomore Oscar Mariscal competed as an individual for the Eagles and shot 4-over with rounds of 73-75.

Central Alabama freshman Christian Humber won the event with 8-under par, 136 (66-70).

The event was the final fall tournament for MCC, which won three times, claimed one runner up and was third twice.

The Eagles return to action in February at the Faulkner State Inv.

Holiday Inn Invitational
Hosted by MS Gulf Coast
Windance Country Club
Gulfport, MS (72 par, 6,659 yards)


TEAM RESULTS
1. Central Alabama 581 (290-291)
2. Meridian (MS) 583 (293-290)
3. South Mountain (AZ) 584 (284-300)
t4. Mississippi Gulf Coast 602 (302-300)
t4. Abraham Baldwin (GA) 602 (301-301)
6. Faulkner State (AL) 611 (303-308)
7. Darton (GA) 612 (310-302)
8. John A. Logan (IL) 624 (312-312)
9. Rend Lake (IL) 629 (315-314)
10. Wallace State (AL) 644 (320-324)
11. Copiah-Lincoln (MS) 646 (320-326)
12. U. of New Orleans (LA) 649 (325-324)
13. Andrew (GA) 652 (340-312)
14. Spring Hill (AL) 657 (335-322)
15. East Central (MS) 674 (341-333)
16. MS Gulf Coast (B-team) 686 (338-348)


MCC scores:
t3rd Jake Stirling -1 74-69 143
t3rd Easton Key -1 69-74 143
t10th Alex Grannon +3 76-71 147
t18th Brandt Garon +6 74-76 150
t41st Clemens Dvorak +14 77-81 158
Individual (MCC):t12th Oscar Mariscal +4 73-75 148

Monday

MCC freshman, Easton Key, shoots 69


-Eagles in Third Place

(GULFPORT, Miss.)- Meridian Community College freshman golfer, Easton Key, shot a 3-under par 69 in round one of the Holiday Inn Invitational played at Windance Country Club on Monday in Gulfport.

Key trails only Central Alabama freshman, Christian Humber, who leads the field after a 6-under par opening round of 66.

The Eagles are in third place out of 17 teams, as they trail first day leader South Mountain (AZ) by nine strokes. The defending NJCAA Division II national champions out of Phoenix, AZ shot a 4-under par 288 and lead second place Central Alabama, who posted a 2-over par 290. MCC is in third place with 5-over par 293.

MCC was led by Key's 69 (-3), sophomore Brandt Garon and freshman Jake Stirling each shot 74 (+2). Freshman Alex Grannon shot 76 (+4) while sophomore Clemens Dvorak rounded out MCC's team scoring with a 77 (+5).

Sophomore Oscar Mariscal, competing as an individual, shot 73 (+1).

Final round concludes Tuesday at Windance Country Club.

Friday

MCC basketball returns to action Saturday


(MERIDIAN) - The Meridian Community College men’s and women’s basketball teams return to action Saturday as MCC will take on Bishop State in the Graham Gymnasium.

The Lady Eagles (1-0) tip-off at 3:00 pm while the Eagles (1-0) tip-off at 5:00 pm.

Both teams are coming off convincing wins over Wallace-Selma back on Wednesday.

The Lady Eagles picked up where they left off, after another 20-plus win season in 2009-2010, Coach Hillary Allen and his MCC Lady Eagles defeated Selma 90-69.

Freshman Norianna Haynes, a Northeast Lauderdale product, gave the Lady Eagles a team-high 24 points- 19 in the second half- in her college debut, while Arnissa Galloway had 15 points and Tay Odneal dropped in 10.

The MCC men got the Jeff Walker Era started off in the right direction with a 20 point blowout of Wallace-Selma.

Sophomore Emmanuel Donald led the Eagles with 20 points, while Deangelo Pryor and Travis Friedman each went for 15. Lakin Ford added 13 points and former Newton High standout Rashad Robinson dropped in 10 in the win.

Eagles look to repeat in Gulfport


(MERIDIAN, Miss.) - The Meridian Community College golf team will participate in the final event of the 2010 fall season this Monday and Tuesday when the Eagles travel to Windance County Club in Gulfport, Miss. for the Holiday Inn Invitational hosted by Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.

MCC looks to defend their title in Gulfport as last year the Eagles dominated the event winning by 16 stokes over South Mountain Community College out of Phoenix, Ariz.

MCC comes into the final fall event ranked No. 2 in the latest poll by GolfStat.com.

MCC will start sophomore standout Brandt Garon in the No. 1 spot. Garon is coming off his fourth career win last week in the NJCAA District IV Preview where the defending national champion shot 7-under par for three rounds.

Freshman Jake Stirling will start in the No.2 spot for MCC joined by fellow freshman, and Meridian native, Easton Key in the No. 3 spot. Sophomore Clemens Dvorak will play No. 4 as Gulf Coast native, freshman Alex Grannon, will round out MCC’s line-up in the No. 5 spot. Sophomore Oscar Mariscal is participating as an individual for the Eagles.

17 teams are scheduled to participate in the 54-hole event.

“This will be the largest tournament field we’ve seen all semester,” said fifth year MCC golf coach, Sean Covich.

“Teams from Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, and Louisiana will be there along with fellow teams from Mississippi so this is a great test before we go into our mid-season conditioning to prepare for the spring.”

Play is scheduled to get started Monday at 7 a.m. with 36 holes and the event will conclude Tuesday with a final 18 hole round.

Top 10 NJCAA Men's Golf Division I Teams
Team
1 Brevard (FL)
2 Meridian (MS)
3 Darton (GA)
4 Central Alabama
5 Odessa (TX)
6 Wallace State (AL)
7 Indian Hills (IA)
8 Western Texas
9 Cape Fear (NC)
10 New Mexico

Thursday

Former NEL star leads MCC past Wallace-Selma in college debut


By Daniel Rigdon / Sports Writer
The Meridian Star



Lady Eagles 90
Wallace-Selma 69


MERIDIAN — The Meridian Community College kicked off its 2010-11 season in winning fashion as both the men and women's teams notched convincing victories against Wallace-Selma Community College Wednesday night at Graham Gymnasium. The MCC women broke open a close game in the second half to win 90-69, while the men rolled to an 88-68 win in coach Jeff Walker’s debut with the Eagles.

In the women's game the Patriots jumped out to an early lead on coach Hilary Allen's Eagles over the course of the first six minutes to grab a 23-13 lead.

"I give Wallace-Selma credit," said Allen. "They came out here in the first 10 minutes and played us closer than they had ever played us."

MCC, however, would make a run of its own via the perimeter shooting of sophomore point guard Bianca Powell outscoring Selma 34-16 in the final 14 minutes of the half to enter the locker room up 47-39.

Selma would respond early in the second half using a stiff defense to knot things up at 51 at the 12:52 mark.

Enter Norianna Haynes.

Haynes, a Northeast Lauderdale product, gave the Eagles the spark they needed scoring 11 points on four consecutive possesions to put MCC out in front for good.

"The play of Norianna in the second half was huge," added Allen. "She scored 11 points in a row and she gave an all-out effort. She got most of those points off steals and getting out and running."

Meridian would convert that momentum into a rout of the Patriots as they cruised to the 90-69 victory to improve to 1-0 on the season.

Haynes finished the game with a team-high 24 points— 19 in the second half— in her college debut, while Arnissa Galloway had 15 points and Tay Odneal dropped in 10. Powell finished with nine points on the night.

"Bianca did a great job of distributing the ball tonight and Arnissa did a great job for us tonight as well," noted Allen.

Selma's Ashley Grimes led all scorers with 29 points.


Eagles 88
Wallace-Selma 68


The Meridian men followed suit in the nightcap blowing past the Patriots by 20 to kick off Walker's era on a positive note.

After trailing by three points in the early going, the Eagles erupted. MCC, using its faced-paced attack, out-worked Selma and held a 12-point lead at intermission.

They wouldn't let up in the final 20 minutes of play and Emmanuel Donald led the Eagles (1-0) to an easy victory.

"We were glad to get the win," said Walker. "It's certainly better than the other option, but there are a lot of things we need to improve on. I told our guys after the game that your biggest improvement comes going into that second game."

Donald ended the night with 20 points, while Deangelo Pryor and Travis Friedman each went for 15. Lakin Ford added 13 points and former Newton High standout Rashad Robinson dropped in 10 in the win.

MCC went 21-of-38 from the charity stripe.

"We try to get to the free throw line a lot," added Walker. "It's something that we have to do given the transition game we try to play. Our percentage wasn't where it needed to be so we will have to work on that."

Both the men and women will be back in action as they host Bishop State on Saturday afternoon. The women get things started at 3 p.m., while the men are slated to tip off at 5 p.m.

Wednesday

MCC Lady Eagles look for the young to lead them


Norianna Haynes leads youthful group in 2010 - 2011

(MERIDIAN) - Last year's Meridian Community College women's basketball team was quite successful. They should have been since five sophomores started for the Lady Eagles who went 24-7 and captured the 2010 Miss/Lou Conference Tournament Championship.

"I have often stated that a good sophomore is better than a great freshman in junior college athletics," said MCC Head Coach, Hilary Allen.

"A sophomore can win a game sometimes just with experience and not making a mistake at the wrong time."

The 2009 - 2010 team helped Coach Hilary Allen win his 200th game in just 10 years at the helm of the MCC program. Several sophomores led the way, including the 2010 Miss/Lou Tournament MVP Sharda'e Johnson and the 2009 Miss/Lou Tournament MVP, LaQuita Burrough.

But that veteran group is gone and only point guard, Bianca Powell, returns with a lot of game experience from last year. Powell played in all 31 games and started in six games due to injuries to one of the starters from last year (Tiara Logan).

"Bianca gained a lot of experience last year and played late in the game when we needed extra ball handlers on the floor," said Allen.

"She also became a defensive stopper for us with fresh legs down the homestretch of a close ball game."

Powell is expected to provide the leadership for the outstanding freshman class brought in by Coach Allen. The highly-touted freshman class is led by Mississippi All-Stars, Norianna Haynes and Chasity Kearney.

Haynes, a 5'10 guard from Northeast Lauderdale was also a Dandy Dozen selection by the Clarion-Ledger.

The 5'11" Kearney was the Player of the Year in North Mississippi.

"Both Haynes and Kearney have shown a lot of potential in preseason workouts," said Allen.

"They are both so strong having played the post position in high school."

However, both are expected to move to the wing position in college.
Which is just fine with Coach Allen, because he has three taller freshmen than Haynes and Kearney.

Arnissa Galloway, a 6'1" post player from East Marion, was the Player of the Year in South Mississippi as a junior, but was forced to miss her senior year with a knee injury.

"Galloway has not played organized basketball for over 18 months and she is chomping at the bit to get back out on the court," said Allen.

Shana Lampton, a 6'2" post player from Hattiesburg High, played in several big games last year in high school, since her team was ranked #1 for most of the season and made it all the way to the Big House for the finals.

Calnitra White, a 6'0" post player, was injured late in the season last year at Collins High and missed the play-offs.

Coach Allen has two additional sophomores returning and both are expected to contribute.

Tay Odneal, 5'4" guard from Starkville and Kayla Hawkins, 5'4" guard from Pass Christian.

"Tay and Kayla have worked on their shooting skills over the summer and have turned into zone busters," said Allen.

Several other players are looking to make an impact on the 2010 - 2011 season. Markia Nix, from Moss Point, Shumond Hughes, from Bay Springs, and Mariane Bilbro are looking for playing time at the wing position.
Deanna Bolton, from Perry Central, Angel Mbikay, from Toronto, Maranda Agee, from Bay Springs, Kia Morris, from Hattiesburg, and Jasmine Anderson, from Harrison Central are looking for time at the point guard position.

As always, the Lady Eagles are looking for an up-tempo style on the court with a high-powered fast break and full-court pressure defense.

MCC opens up their season Wednesday against Wallace State-Selma at 6 pm.

MCC Eagles look for new coach to lead them


Jeff Walker leads talented group in 2010 - 2011

(MERIDIAN) - The 2010 - 2011 Meridian Community College men’s basketball team will have several new faces this season, including the leader, Coach Jeff Walker.

Coach Walker comes to MCC after having coached men’s basketball at the professional level, the four-year level and the junior college level.

“Coach Walker was impressive during the interview process with his wealth of experience coaching basketball,” said MCC Athletic Director, Hilary Allen.

“His experience at up-tempo basketball was the deciding factor.”

The 2010 - 2011 team will have plenty of new faces as well. Only 6’5”, Emmanuel Donald, from Lake and 6’2” Rashad Robinson, from Newton return with any collegiate playing experience. Both Donald and Robinson logged several minutes last year as freshman for the Eagles and both will be expected to carry a huge load again this year.

Edrico McGregor, a 6’8” freshman from the Bahamas, played in four games last year before getting injured and receiving a medical hardship. McGregor will have two more years and looks to become a presence on the inside.

Several other freshmen will see lots of playing time.

Deangelo Priar, a 5’11” shooting guard from Tchula, will be asked to score a lot of points and get out on the fast break.

Travis Fredimon, a 6’1” point guard, will be called upon to lead the up-tempo style of basketball.

“Our team will press and we will run the floor, “ said Coach Walker.

“We want to play 40 minutes of fast-paced action.”

Several players will be called upon to rebound and defend in Walker's new offense.

Pierre Crawford, a 6’7” post, will need to rebound and get that fast break started.

Lakin Ford, a 6’4” forward from West Point, and 6’3” Cortavious Vaughn, from Cleveland, may be undersized for the post position, but their strength will allow to them to battle for rebounds.

Trent Tucker, a 6’1 guard, Brandon Battle, a 6’4” forward, Ray Cager, a 6’1” guard and Julius Lanier, a 5’9” guard from Northeast Lauderdale are working hard to get playing time.

The Eagles must battle in the tough Miss/Lou Conference against opponents like Southern-Shreveport, Baton Rouge and Delgado in addition MCC will face a tough non-conference schedule against in-state rivals like East Mississippi and Jones County.

Coach Walker and the Eagles open up their season Wednesday against Wallace State-Selma at 8 pm.

MCC Looking For A "White Out"


Eagles open season against Wallace-Selma at 6:00 and 8:00

(MERIDIAN) - The 2010 - 2011 Meridian Community College basketball season will begin Wednesday at 6:00 and 8:00 in the Graham Gymnasium.

Both teams play against Wallace State-Selma.

The Lady Eagles are coming off a 24 - 7 season and are the defending Miss/Lou Conference Champions.

The Eagles begin a new era under Coach Jeff Walker.

Cheerleading coach, Candace Rainer, has declared this game to be a “white-out” game. She is asking all fans to wear white for the home opener.

Tuesday

MCC’s Garon claims fourth career win, Eagles top three


(ALEX CITY, Ala.) - The accolades keep coming for Meridian Community College sophomore golfer Brandt Garon. The defending NJCAA National Champion won his fourth career tournament Tuesday at Willow Point Golf & Country Club.

Garon shot 7-under par for three rounds to win the NJCAA District IV Championship by two shots.

Garon posted three consecutive rounds of even par or better with a 2-under par 70 in round one, a 5-under par 67 in round two and an eve-par 72 in the final round. The win was Garon’s second title of the 2010 fall season.

As a team, Meridian finished in third place, just four shots behind tournament winner Darton (GA) College, Brevard (FL) College claimed runner-up.

Darton posted 868, Brevard had 870 while the Eagles shot 872. 12 teams from six states participated in the event.

Other MCC scores included: Jake Striling with 3-over (75-70-74), Easton Key 5-over (75-74-72), Clemens Dvorak 11-over (72-75-80), and Alex Grannon 16-over (79-77-76).

The Eagles will be back in action Monday and Tuesday at Windance Country Club in Gulfport, MS for the Holiday Inn Invitational.



NJCAA District IV Preview
Willow Point Golf & Country Club
Par 72, 7,295 yards
TEAM RESULTS
Pos. School (State) +/- Total RD 1 RD 2 RD 3
1 Darton (GA) +4 868 290 291 287
2 Brevard (FL) +6 870 290 290 290
3 Meridian (MS) +8 872 292 286 294
4 Central Alabama +15 879 291 290 298
5 Cape Fear (NC) +18 882 300 291 291
6 Tri- County (NC) +27 891 299 296 296
7 Wallace State (AL) +38 902 296 295 311
8 Faulkner State (AL) +46 910 298 297 315
9 Univ of S. Carolina-Lancaster +57 921 304 308 309
10 Mississippi Gulf Coast +67 931 308 318 305
11 Spartanburg Methodist (SC) +94 958 321 321 316
12 Andrew (GA) College +108 972 308 322 342


MCC Individual Scoring
Pos. Player +/- Total
1st Brandt Garon -7 209 70-67-72
11th Jake Stirling +3 219 75-70-74
13th Easton Key +5 221 75-74-72
t28th Clemens Dvorak +11 227 72-75-80
t37th Alex Grannon +16 232 79-77-76

Monday

Eagles lead District Preview

(ALEX CITY, AL) – The Meridian Community College golf team opened the first round of the NJCAA District IV Preview at Willow Point Golf & Country Club with a 4-over par 292 team score Monday morning.

The Eagles then fired a 2-under par score of 286 to move up the leader board. Play was suspended due to darkness right after the Eagles putted out, MCC is in the lead of the six teams who have completed two rounds (12 teams total are competing). The Eagles lead host-Central Alabama by three shots.

MCC was led by All America sophomore, Brandt Garon. Garon was 7-under par for the day, shooting rounds of 2-under par 70 then 5-under par 67.

Freshman, Jake Stirling shot 1-over par for the day with rounds of 3-over par 75 then 2-under par 70. Sophomore Clemens Dvorak was 3-over for the day with rounds of even-par 72 and 3-over par 75.

Meridian native, Easton Key, finished 5-over for the day with 3-over par 75 in the morning and a 2-over par 74 in the afternoon.

Freshman Alex Grannon rounded out MCC scoring at 12-over par for 36 holes. Grannon shot 7-over par 79 then a 5-over par 77.

Twelve teams representing six states are entered in the event; a final round of 18 holes is scheduled for tomorrow. Play will get underway at 7:30 am