March 13, 2015
Jimerson guides NMCC to third place finish over Madison Prep
The senior scored 16 points in the fourth quarter to lead the New Madrid County Central Eagles to a 58-50 win over Madison Prep Friday during the third place game at Mizzou Arena in Columbia.
By Chris Pobst - Standard Democrat
sports@standard-democrat.com
COLUMBIA -- It took two words from teammate Mikeal Walker to get Willie Jimerson going.
The senior answered with 16 points in the fourth quarter after scoring just two in the first half to lead the New Madrid County Central Eagles to a 58-50 win over Madison Prep Friday during the third place game at Mizzou Arena in Columbia.
"Mike said 'take over'," Jimerson said. "I've said it before, I'm the leader. I talk the talk and I have to walk the walk. That's what I did. I took over."
Jimerson's clutch performance gave NMCC it's first third place finish in school history after reaching the final four for the fifth time overall.
It was important for the Eagles to leave Columbia with at least one win after suffering a disheartening 63-61 loss in the semifinals to Strafford on Thursday.
"They were heartbroken last night," NMCC head coach Travis Day said. "But my challenge to them before we came out was not too many teams end the year with a win. We're blessed to be one of those teams to do that. That's what I'm proud of. They sucked it up and got us one more win to end the year."
Jimerson's last-ditch effort to tie the semifinal game in the final seconds fell to the wayside sending NMCC into the third place game. He leads a group of eight seniors that made a pact to finish one of the most prolific season's the best way possible.
"Yesterday was a tough break," Jimerson said. "We had to come back and fight hard and try to finish with a 'W'. The seniors gathered around and we said we have to go out with a bang. We did."
It took a game-changing effort from Jimerson to reverse the hold Madison Prep, a team that features three contributors that stand 6-4 or taller, had for most of the game.
The senior put his Eagles ahead 50-49 with a pull-up 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:16 left to play. He later knocked down four straight free throws to give NMCC a comfy 56-50 lead with 20 seconds left to ultimately seal the win.
The Eagles finished the game on a 13-1 run in the final 1:37 that included seven points from Jimerson.
"I think down the stretch (Jimerson), he hit two big (threes)," Madison Prep head coach Tony Irons said. "I thought for the most part our guards did a good job of containing, in the first half especially. But that's what good players do and that's what good teams do. They get on runs and their run just so happened to come at the end of the game when they needed it to."
NMCC (26-5) led 16-14 after the first but lost that advantage at the 5:11 mark in the second quarter and didn't lead again until the final quarter. The Eagles couldn't find any offense in the second quarter when Madison's great size relegated them to three points. The Bears packed the paint and stuffed any attempt at Jimerson or sophomore Javarcus Word, who finished with 16 points, driving to the basket.
NMCC's only option remained behind the 3-point line where they shot 4 of 16. They finished the first half 6 of 28 overall and trailed 25-19.
"We knew they were going to try and clog the paint on us," said Day. "That's why we shot so many three's because they were giving them to us. I told my guys when you're open you shoot."
Eventually Madison's size became less of a factor due to NMCC's up and down style, according to Day, making way for NMCC's late run.
"We've been the smallest team since our first game," said Day. "That's never bothered us. Our goal is to make a big guy run for four quarters. Make him get up and down the floor, then in the fourth quarter he's not a big guy anymore because he's too busy trying to catch his breath."
Madison (18-13) went up by as much as eight points in the third quarter but NMCC finished the frame with a 6-1 run that included a 3-pointer from Kiel Causey and three more points from Word to cut Madison's lead to 33-32 to enter the fourth.
"We picked it up and got it together," Walker said about the third quarter. "Shots started falling."
The lead changed hands seven times throughout the fourth until Jimerson's 3-pointer that gave NMCC a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
"I just feel like it was nip and tuck the entire time," Irons said. "It was a good game. New Madrid is a great team. Senior heavy. They play very well. They played well enough to win the game. They made plays when they needed to make plays and we didn't. And that's the bottom line."
Madison didn't help its cause with six turnovers in the final seven minutes allowing nine NMCC points. The Bears finished with 23.
"We're young so that type of stuff happens," Irons said. "A lot of them are dead-ball turnovers like travels and stuff like that. That happens. We're a big team and when our bigs get the ball inside a lot of times it's a little difficult for them when they're swarmed. A lot of those turnovers came from us trying to be aggressive. I don't think that was necessarily the factor because I think we did a decent job transition-wise on not giving up a whole lot of baskets. But it came in crucial parts, so that definitely is a factor and that's a tribute to their defense."
Jermaine Walker led Madison with 21 points on 9 of 12 shooting and 11 rebounds.
The trip to Columbia was a homecoming of sorts for Day. The nine-year head coach for NMCC helped the Eagles to the school's first state championship in 1988 as a sophomore.
"I didn't really never think about it until people started saying that," Day said. "Not too many people played for a state championship and then come back as a coach and then take their same team back to the final four. The season never really hits me until after the season. All this will probably hit me on the way home."
Most of the same players returned from a 12-10 season a year ago for the Eagles. NMCC finished the season with its second-best record in school history behind a 28-4 record in 2002 when they took second in state.
"We did something special this year," Day said. "I'm very proud of those guys."
Madison 14 11 8 17 -- 50
NMCC 16 3 13 26 -- 58
MADISON PREP (50) -- Daniel Farris 7, Jermaine Walker 21, Levi Stockard III 8, Brandon Myles 2, Darren Huntley 7, Casey Cody-Jackson 5. FG 17, FT 13-18, F 24. (3-pointers: Farris 1, Huntley 1, Cody-Jackson 1. Fouled out: Walker.)
NMCC (58) -- Willie Jimerson 20, Mikeal Walker 4, TJ Clark 6, Drew Palmer 3, Asten Newsom 5, Kiel Causey 3, Javarcus Word 16, Vontre Jones 1. FG 17, FT 16-28, F 18. (3-pointers: Jimerson 2, Clark 2, Palmer 1, Causey 1, Word 2. Fouled out: none.)
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