Basketball Bobcats Secure Historic Back-to-Back MACCC Titles

Just hours after earning a No. 4 spot in the NJCAA Men’s Basketball Top 25 Poll, their highest-ever finish, Jones College capped off a historic achievement by winning their first-ever back-to-back conference championships with a 78-65 victory over Hinds on Monday night.

After finishing the league season with a 13-1 record, the Bobcats won the MACCC title outright, winning 13 consecutive games after an opening loss to Itawamba.

With a 27-3 record, Jones College has earned the right to host the NJCAA Region 23 Semifinals and Final on March 12-13. They will face the Gulf Coast vs. Baton Rouge winner in the region quarterfinals on Monday, March 10, at A.B. Howard Gymnasium.

As expected, Monday’s game against the Bulldogs was a hard-fought battle. Jones opened with a 6-0 run, but Hinds quickly matched it with six. The Bobcats then went on a 12-2 run, taking a 22-12 lead, sparked by a Ky Pernell (Horn Lake) three-pointer and finished by a Jay Tyler (Glen Allan) layup.

Hinds fought back, repeatedly tying the game, and it was all even at 35-35 at halftime.

The Bulldogs took their biggest lead, 43-39, with 16:01 remaining in the game. However, a steal and dunk by LJ Hackman (Columbus), a dunk by Avery Thomas II (Terry), and a putback dunk by Kylan Howze (Gulfport) ignited a 15-4 run for the Bobcats.

From that point, Jones never allowed Hinds to close within four points, extending their lead to as much as 15 in the final stretch.

Dimp Pernell (Horn Lake), Hackman, and Thomas each finished with 19 points. Dimp Pernell reached a career milestone, surpassing 1,000 career points at Jones, and was honored with a commemorative ball postgame. Ky Pernell added seven points and is just 10 shy of 1,000 career points.

Author administrator Corinne Ellington