Gulf Coast stays unbeaten at Thanksgiving Classic

PERKINSTON – Mississippi Gulf Coast coach Wendell Weathers called timeout with 4:09 left and his team deadlocked with Southern-Shreveport.

"I told them, 'You've got to win the next four minutes,'" he said. "In that four minutes, everything changed. Our defense got better, we go more solid and we took every rebound. That was the difference."

The undefeated Bulldogs wound up winning 83-72 to finish as the only 2-0 in the Gulf Coast Thanksgiving Classic at the Weathers/Wentzell Center.

Southern-Shreveport falls to 7-4.

In the first game Tuesday, Faulkner State's Devante Marshall hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Sun Chiefs (8-2) to a 75-72 win over Baton Rouge (2-8).

Davion Cole-Johnson led the Bulldogs (7-0) with 25 points. Deshawn Jones finished with 13, and Internee Hampton had 10.

Jones spearheaded the 13-2 spurt down the stretch with six points. Cole-Johnson started it with a drive leading to a 3-point play before Jones hit two shots in the lane.

Following two Southern-Shreveport free throws that made the score 77-72, Hampton had a putback with 1:42 left.

Cole-Johnson missed a 3-pointer the next time the Bulldogs had the ball, but Tedrian Brisco got the rebound, drew a foul and made both free throws.

Jones' hit two more free throws to ice the game.

The Jaguars were led by DeAngelo McClinton's 31 points.

Gulf Coast is off for the Thanksgiving break, returning to action on Dec. 3. Jones will visit Perkinston in the first game of MACJC play.

"We couldn't ask to be any better," Weathers said. "We're 7-0, and I never expected that at this point. The thing that bothers me is four days off and getting them all back, but I love where we're at. I think we're getting better."