Lady Wolves win state

WESSON – The Co-Lin Lady Wolves defeated the Jones County Lady Bobcats 85-77 to claim the MACJC Women’s Basketball State Championship in front of a packed house in Mullen Gymnasium. The Lady Wolves will play the Holmes Lady Bulldogs in the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament at A.E. Wood Coliseum on the campus of Mississippi College on Tuesday at 2 p.m.

In men action, the Gulf Coast Bulldogs captured gold over the Pearl River Wildcats with a 64-61 win.

Sophomore guard Kiara Etienne led 4 Co-Lin players in double digits with 19 points. G.G. Williams added 15 points, Brandi Simmons 14 and Paige Webster 11.

Etienne, Webster, and Simmons had 7 rebounds each in the victory.

The Co-Lin bench outscored the Lady Bobcats 25-6. Guard Ann Shelby Davis came off the bench to score 8 points, including a trey. She went 3 of 4 from the free throw line.

This was the third meeting this season between the two South Division powerhouses. Co-Lin had won the first meeting with the Lady Bobcats 77-56 at Co-Lin on Jan. 24. The Bobcats (19-7) defeated Co-Lin last week earlier at Ellisville, winning 90-80 and handing the No. 8-ranked Wolves their first South Division loss.

Sophomore guard Tanecka Carey sacked 40 points for the Lady Bobcats, including 8 treys. Carey, a Southern Miss, scored 17 first-half points, hitting 5 of 8 shots from behind the 3-point line. Co-Lin held a 43-41 lead at halftime.

In the second half, Co-Lin built a 9-point, 50-41 lead on a short jumper by Etienne with 18:13 left to play. Jones came roaring back and claimed a 73-71 lead on 2 free throws by Carey with 4:27 left.

Co-Lin responded. Simmons scored in the paint and Webster made a driving layup. The Wolves broke a 75-75 deadlock when Simmons sank another free throw, Etienne sacked a trey from the corner and playmaker Keosha Bradley made a baseline drive for an 81-77 advantage with 1:26 remaining.