ESCC earns spot in state basketball tournament
The Enterprise State Boll Weevils kept their season alive on Friday, March 1, with a 76-74 win over Bevill State in a play-in game for the state tournament.
The win secured a spot in the Alabama Community College Conference Tournament for the Boll Weevils.
ESCC was able to hang tough with Bevill State despite leading scorers Kainan Pouncy and Deshunta Smith getting into early foul trouble forcing the prolific scorers to the bench for much of the first half.
“We started out slow but overall I thought we played well,” ESCC coach Jermaine Williams said. “I was proud of the way our guys fought back, especially those guys that got into foul trouble.
“The freshmen did a great job of holding on to the game until the sophomores were able to come back in. I was proud of the way our guys came together to finish off the season right.”
Despite the early foul trouble, Pouncy led the Boll Weevils with 19 points, while Smith added 12 points. Shedrick Cooper added 12 points, as well.
The win advances ESCC into the quarterfinals of the ACCC Tournament against No. 2 seed Shelton State.
Williams said that ESCC’s biggest – literally and figuratively – obstacle will be Shelton State’s 7-foot sharpshooter Ruot Monyyong. The massive forward is averaging 16 points and 11 rebounds per game.
“We have to come up with a plan to stop their 7-footer,” Williams said. “He’s their most consistent shooter. We’ll focus on trying to get him out of the game by attacking the rim and trying to get him into foul trouble.
“It will take a team effort and making sure that we’re paying attention to detail. If we can do that we have a great chance to win. Playing together will be the key.”
Freshman Ozark native Joseph Womack echoed his coach’s sentiments on the game.
“We have to keep our turnovers under 10, everybody has to do their job to the fullest, maintain the tempo of play and we have to play unselfishly,” Womack said. “When we play unselfishly we can win just about any game we play.
“We have to make sure we’re playing unselfishly and just have fun and play ball. We’ve worked hard for this.”
Pouncy – a Daleville native – agreed with his coach and teammate’s assessment.
“We have to play as a team like we have been,” Pouncy said. “We have to do the small things right and play together.”
ESCC and Shelton State played on Tuesday, March 5, in Birmingham. For information and stats on that game visit www.southeastsun.com.