Flanagan’s 33 not enough against Hinds

PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast played a box-and-one to slow down Hinds' leading scorer, and it worked. The Bulldogs' leading scorer had a career night, but it wasn't enough.

The Gulf Coast men lost 71-63 Thursday despite 33 points from Melvion Flanagan (Fr., Alexandria, La./Peabody, dropping a second game in eight days to Hinds.

The Bulldogs (6-8, 4-8 MACCC South) didn't put anybody else in double-digits on the scoresheet.

Hinds (8-1, 8-1) scored the first 11 points of the second half to lead 41-27, and the Bulldogs appeared in danger of getting blown out. They ripped off a 17-2 of their own, though, and charged back to a 44-43 lead with 12:37 to play.

The lead seesawed back and forth, and Dillon Farmer (Fr., Conehatta/Choctaw Central) made two of the biggest buckets of the night for Gulf Coast. He drove the left baseline for a 55-54 lead with 5:09 left, then followed a missed layup with a put-back slam a minute later for a 58-56 advantage.

He finished with a career-high nine points.

After two Flanagan free throws put Gulf Coast in front 60-58, Hinds got the next 11 points to salt the game away.

Hinds needed overtime exactly a week before to pull out a 92-89 win in Utica.

The Bulldogs are back in action at Perk on Monday. Archrival Pearl River visits at 6 p.m.

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