Holmes to face Pearl River in MACCC/Region 23 semifinals Saturday morning
RIDGELAND --- The No. 3 ranked Holmes Community College Lady Bulldogs are set to open postseason play against Pearl River, the South No. 2 seed, on Saturday at 11 a.m. on the Ridgeland Campus. Holmes, the North No. 1 seed, is the host for the MACCC/Region 23 Tournament.
The Lady Bulldogs, 12-1-2 on the season, finished the North Division with a 6-0-2 record and captured its sixth straight North Division title. Holmes is the MACCC/Region 23 defending champion after taking the titles in 2019 and 2020 (the season was played in late spring 2021 due to COVID-19). The Lady Bulldogs reeled off nine straight wins before tying Northwest last Tuesday.
"We are looking forward to the weekend and getting to compete as one of the final four teams in our conference, which is one of the toughest in the country," Head Coach Wesley Noble said. "The girls have worked really hard to get to this point. They have faced quite a bit of adversity this year but have really come together on and off the field. I am very proud of them and looking forward to watching them play again this Saturday."
"We know Saturday will be a tough match against a really good Pearl River team," he said. "We are excited for the challenge."
Noble is extremely proud of the sixth straight North Division title.
"Being able to win six straight North Division titles is far from easy," Noble said. "Our league is very competitive and every game is tough. I commend our girls for being able to stay focused and getting the results we needed. With that, we have bigger goals we are looking to accomplish and I think the girls are very eager to go compete for those."
Season results included: 4-0 win over Millsaps; 4-0 win over Southwest; 2-1 loss to Pearl River; 5-1 win over Copiah-Lincoln; 2-2 draw vs. Hinds; 3-2 win over East Central; 9-3 win over Northwest; 4-0 win over Itawamba; 6-0 win over Meridian; 3-0 win over Southwestern Ill.; 6-0 win over St. Louis; 1-0 win over Hinds; 3-1 win over Itawamba; 3-1 win over East Central; and 2-2 draw vs. Northwest.
Sophomore forward Ravynne Wilson of Meridian leads the Lady Bulldogs in points with 34 including 14 goals and six assists. Freshman forward Callie McKinney of Flowood is next in points with 20 including seven goals and six assists. Other players leading the Lady Bulldogs include: freshman forward Jaelyn Hanson of Brandon with eight goals and one assist; sophomore forward Kaci Craft of Clinton with five goals and two assists; freshman forward Katelin Johnson of Oxford with four goals and four assists; freshman forward Sydney Nester of Walker, La. with three goals and four assists; and freshman forward Darian Blackburn of Vestavia Hills, Ala. with four goals and one assist.
Sophomore goalkeeper Layken Stockstill of Vicksburg finished the regular season with a 10-1-2 record with 836 minutes in goal. She gave up nine goals and had 28 saves. Freshman goalkeeper Avery Belden of Brandon finished with 559:55 minutes in goal. She gave up five goals and 29 saves.
2021 MACCC/Region 23 Tournament Schedule
Saturday, November 6
Ridgeland Campus
Game 1, 11 a.m.: Women's semifinal, N1 Holmes vs. S2 Pearl River; Game 2, 1:30 p.m.: Women's semifinal, S1 Jones vs. N2 Northwest
Freedom Ridge Park
Game 3, 4 p.m.: Men's semifinal, N1 Itawamba vs. S2 Gulf Coast
Game 4, 6:30 p.m.: Men's semifinal, S1 Pearl River vs. N2 Hinds
Sunday, November 7
Game 5, 12 p.m.: Women's Championship Game, G1 Winner vs. G2 Winner
Game 6, 2:30 pm: Men's Championship Game, G3 Winner vs. G4 Winner