Jones College women’s basketball dominating opponents

ELLISVILLE, Miss. (WDAM) -Missy Bilderback continues to build a winning women’s basketball program at Jones College, taking her Bobcats to No. 10 in the latest National Junior College Athletic Association rankings.

Too boot, the Bobcats just won their 40th consecutive home game on Thursday, a feat accomplished by playing for the game’s entire 40 minutes, Bilderback said.

“One thing we talk about a lot is trying to play with great effort for 40 minutes and have great focus for 40 minutes, particularly on the defensive end,” Bilderback said.

“I think this team has really bought into that, and you can see us over the course of the last three to four weeks just beginning to grow and really taking a lot of pride in the way we defend.”

As the team grows, so does its win total.

The Bobcats (11-2) own two victories over nationally-ranked Arkansas State University-Mid-South, and will get a crack at avenging one of their lossess at 5:30 p.m. Monday when No. 3 Shelton State Community College (17-1) comes to Ellisville.

Jones College also stands undefeated in Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference play at 6-0.

“It’s definitely fun playing in our conference,” said Mackenzie Thomas, a Jones College guard and Laurel High School graduate.

“When we come out here, we basically want to set a standard. Being a Bobcat is very hard. They want to pack the games out, get us rattled so when we come in, we come in with that dominance.”

Thomas and the Bobcats are indeed dominating. They’re currently outscoring their opponents by an average of 15 points a game.

“We come out here ready to play, but it’s definitely just playing together, having fun, and having that energy,” Thomas said. “Once you have all of those things come together, next thing you know, you’re beating someone by 15 (points),20 (points), so it’s all about having fun.”

Copyright 2022 WDAM. All rights reserved.