MGCCC beats Eagles in Meridian

Mississippi Gulf Coast got strong play from its All-MACCC guard, freshmen who stepped up down the stretch and a good night at the charity stripe Tuesday night to win 77-75 at Meridian.

Jabbari Barry (So., Lake Charles, La./Barbe) had 22 points for the Bulldogs, who improved to 5-1. 

"He played like he's supposed to," Gulf Coast coach Owen Miller said. "He played like one of the best guards in the league. He's got to take better care of the ball, but he really made some big shots. It was one of the better games he's had for us defensively this year."

Meridian took its first loss of the season in its fourth game. It was a non-conference game.

Larry Lee (So., Utica/Raymond) had 10 points, the only other Bulldogs in double figures. But freshmen Za'Kariyea Hamilton (Fr., Jackson/Clinton), Aujaylen Barron (Fr., Gulfport/Harrison Central) and Mekhi Strong (Fr., Edwards/Raymond) had nine points each.

Hamilton and Barron played well down the stretch. Barron had five points in the final 3:35, including 3-of-4 from the line. Hamilton made a pair of 3-pointer, both times giving Gulf Coast two-possession leads.

"It was good for us," Miller said. "We had a lot of freshmen who stepped up and played well. That's encouraging."

The Bulldogs avoided late disaster when they fouled a Meridian player shooting a 3 down three with 0.3 seconds left. He missed the shot, then the first free throw to give Gulf Coast the win.

"We've got to clean a lot up," Miller said. "We didn't take care of the ball very well, and we didn't handle their high ball-screen action well at all. We missed assignments and didn't take the scouting report over to the game. It's early, and you expect some of that with freshmen."

Gulf Coast, which was playing its sixth game in 12 days, won't play again until a trip to Poplarville to play archrival Pearl River on Nov. 19. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.