Bulldog 3s put away Holmes

PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast extended its win streak Monday to five games by outlasting Holmes 77-73 at Dantzler Arena.

Maddox Noblitt (Fr., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs) hit three 3-pointers during a 14-2 run that helped the Bulldogs take control.

"Maddox has been struggling the last couple weeks shooting the ball, and he got going," Gulf Coast coach Owen Miller said. "That helps when he can see the ball go in a little bit. He made some big shots."

Noblitt had 14 points, and Matthew Hinton (So., Atlanta, Ga./Dutchtown) led the Bulldogs with 17. Kelinee Stone (Fr., Baton Rouge, La./Woodlawn) and Za'Kariyea Hamilton (So., Jackson/Clinton) had 10 each. Stone made both his 3-point attempts in big situations.

The Bulldogs (19-5 overall, 6-2 MACCC) are tied for third in the conference. Itawamba (8-1) took over first place with a win after Jones lost to Northeast Mississippi. Pearl River and Southwest are also 6-2.

Avan Wilson (So., Bay St. Louis/Bay) hit a 3-pointer 11 seconds into the second half to tie the game at 40. Holmes (16-6, 5-4) went back in front 46-43 before the pivotal run, started by Zakariyya Dwight (Fr., Cordele, Ga./Crisp County)'s 3 from the right wing.

Noblitt hit back-to-back 3-pointers for a 52-46 lead, and after Duran Parish (So., Biloxi/Biloxi) hit a pair of free throws, finished the outburst with another for a 57-48 lead.

The Bulldogs stumbled in the final two minutes, but managed to hold Holmes off.

"They're tough, and they really defend," Miller said. "Buck (Jason Flanigan) has been there a long time, and they're always good. This is a really good win for us at home."

Gulf Coast plays at Itawamba on Thursday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The game will be streamed at https://letsgoicctv.com/red-channel/.

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