Wolves Close Out Regular Season with Win

WESSON – The Co-Lin Men's Basketball team wrapped up the 2023-24 regular season hosting Meridian on Thursday, March 7. The Wolves earned a hard-fought win against the Eagles, 85-79.

The Wolves and Eagles matched scoring totals over the opening minutes as the game was tied 16-16 with 15:20 left to play in the first half. The Eagles then responded with a 12-10 scoring run to hold a 28-26 lead over the Wolves with 9: 55 remaining. The Wolves responded with a 7-6 scoring run to cut the Eagles lead down to 34-33 with 4:59 left on the clock. The Eagles and Wolves then ended the first half by matching scoring totals, adding nine points each, as the Eagles held a 43-42 lead when the teams entered the locker rooms at halftime.

The Wolves opened the second half with a 10-9 scoring run to tie the game at 52-52 with 15:22 left to play. The teams then added ten points each to their totals to keep the game tied at 62-62 with 9:53 remaining in the game. The Wolves then went on a 12-9 scoring run to take a 74-71 lead with 5:12 left on the clock. The Wolves then closed out the game with an 11-8 scoring run to secure the 85-79 victory over the Eagles.

Avaughn Johnson (Jackson) had a monster game for the Wolves as he posted a double-double performance with 20 points and 11 rebounds leading all players in both categories. Emmanuel James (Nigeria) and Courterius Scott (Jackson) added 19 points each while James narrowly missed a double-double with nine rebounds while Scott had four rebounds and five assists.

Devin Carter (Edwards) had eight points, Corey Brown (Roxie) had six points, while Will Grayson (Yazoo City) had five points. Jamarion Smith (Magnolia) had four points with Kaison Saunders (Olive Branch) and Dakota Hillard (Hazlehurst) adding two points each to round out the scoring for the Wolves.

Co-Lin finishes 16-10 overall, 8-6 in conference play, and earned a berth in the NJCAA Region 23 Men's Basketball Tournament. The Wolves will host the Bears of Baton Rouge in the first round on Saturday, March 9, with tip-off set for 2 p.m., at Mullen Gym in Wesson.