February 28, 2007

 NEMCC WOMEN DOWN ITAWAMBA; SET TO PLAY CO-LIN FOR STATE TITLE

WESSON, Miss.-- Erica Grayson (Corinth) outjumped her Itawamba Lady Indians counterpart and slapped the opening tipoff to her teammate Whitney Mayes (Corinth), from there the Northeast Lady Tigers never lost the momentum against ICC on their way to a 60-56 semifinal win at the MACJC (Mississippi Association of Community/Junior Colleges) State Tournament in Wesson, Miss.

Whitney Mayes, and Jessica Bender (Baldwyn) led Northeast (18-6) with 14 points each. Krystal Robinson (Covington, Tenn.) was the leading rebounder for the Lady Tigers with 12.

The win over Itawamba Community College puts Coach Ricky Ford's Lady Tigers one win away from completing back-to-back state titles.

However, Northeast must face Co-Lin Community College, the host team of the tournament and the MACJC South Division champions who were ranked as high as number 10 in the country this season.

"Our work is cut out for us," said Ricky Ford, "because they're not just a good team. They're a great team. On the other hand, we have a lot of experience on this team. All these sophomores were part of last year's team that won a state title, a region 23 title, and made the trip to the national tournament. So, I hope our girls respond well, and play hard. This game will require our best in order to have a chance to win."

Tipoff between the Lady Tigers and the Lady Wolves of Co-lin is set for 6 p.m. on Thursday night, March 1, in Wesson, Miss. The game can be heard live on the radio on WKZU, 102.3 FM, or on live streaming audio at www.kudzu102.com.

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