MGCCC men face critical MACCC test

PERKINSTON — The MACCC men’s basketball teams are tightly packed in the standings, and Mississippi Gulf Coast faces a vital game Thursday when Itawamba visits.

The Bulldogs are 6-4 in the conference and alone in fourth place, the final spot that gets a bye in the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament. Itawamba is a half-game back, tied with Holmes and East Mississippi for fifth. There are eight teams jammed from 5-4 to 4-5 from fifth to 12^th place.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Dantzler Arena. Tickets are available at http://mgcccbulldogs.com/tickets, and the game will be streamed at https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch.

Records

• MGCCC: 14-8/6-4 MACCC, 4^th place in conference
• Itawamba: 19-5/5-4 MACCC, T-5^th place in conference

Last Time Out

• MGCCC beat Hinds 78-72 Tuesday in overtime in Utica. Jabbari Barry (Fr., Lake Charles La./Barbe) led the Bulldogs with 15 points.
• Itawamba beat Meridian 81-72 at Fulton on Tuesday.

Previous Meeting

On Feb. 2, 2023, Itawamba beat Gulf Coast 83-71 in Fulton.

Notes

• Gulf Coast leads the MACCC in scoring (85.7 ppg), 3-pointers made (9.3 per game), 3-pointers attempted (25.1 per game) and steals (11.5 spg). The Bulldogs are second in 3-point shooting (36.9 percent) and free-throw shooting (72.6 percent).
• John Davis (So., Pascagoula/Pascagoula) ranks third in 3-point shooting (47.8 percent).
• Omarion Smith (So., Atlanta Ga./Douglas County) is fifth in the league in blocks (34) and seventh in field-goal shooting (57.9 percent) and rebounding (8.1 rpg).
• Anthony Robinson (So., Long Beach/Long Beach) is sixth in steals (36).
• Jabbari Barry (Fr., Lake Charles La./Barbe) leads the MACCC in 3-pointers (63) and is fourth in 3-point shooting (47.0 percent).
• Duran Parish (Fr., Biloxi/Biloxi) is second in the MACCC in steals (41).

Three Ahead

• Monday, Feb. 26: at Meridian, Meridian, 7:30 p.m.
• Monday, March 4: vs. Northwest Mississippi, Perkinston, 7:30 p.m.
• Thursday, March 7: at Southwest Mississippi, Summit, 7:30 p.m.

For more information on MGCCC’s 11 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.