Lady Bulldogs close season out with upset

PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast exploded past Southwest in the second half Thursday to end its season on a positive note, winning 54-39 on Sophomore Night.

The Lady Bulldogs (7-16, 2-12 MACJC South) outscored the Lady Bears (16-7, 7-6) by 26 the final 20 minutes.

The difference?

"Defense. We guarded," Gulf Coast coach Jason Conner said. "I thought we guarded. I thought we rebounded. I think we managed to get some transition buckets, which kept us in it and then pushed it on out."

Eanna Sims (5-11, Fr, Jackson/Forest Hill) had another double-double, finishing with a team-high 13 points and 14 rebounds. Keiara Williams (6-1, Fr, New Orleans/Warren Easton) and Kim Calhoun (5-11, So, Gulfport/West Harrison) had seven rebounds each.

Williams had eight points, and Shaniqua Tobias (5-6, So, New Orleans/Warren Easton) finished with seven points and a team-best four assists.

Southwest scored the last nine points of the first half to take a 27-16 lead. But Gulf Coast scored the last 13 points of the third quarter to go ahead by two.

The Lady Bulldogs trapped and forced a turnover with 4.8 seconds left, and Deona Morgan (5-7, Fr, Ocean Springs/St. Martin) got her finger roll off in time to beat the buzzer and make it 34-32 after three quarters.

Gulf Coast outscored Southwest 20-7 in the final period, including a 12-4 run to close it out, to win going away.

"There is character. Maybe there is something that finally clicked," Conner said. "We were everywhere we needed to be. I couldn't be more pleased. It's good to end on a W."

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