BOONEVILLE, Miss. — NEMCC basketball took its first loss of the season Thursday night, falling 65-62 in overtime to John A. Logan College on the opening day of the Bonner Arnold Classic in Booneville. The Northeast Mississippi Community College Tigers, who had opened the year with four straight wins, are now 4-1.
According to the college’s athletics department, the Tigers shot just 29 percent from the field (20 of 69) but still pushed the game to an extra period before the Vols scored the deciding basket in the final seconds.
NEMCC basketball led by six at halftime
Northeast got off to a good start inside Bonner Arnold Coliseum. Early three-pointers from Buddy Spearman, Will Davidson and Josiah Davidson helped the Tigers build a 16-12 lead midway through the first half, and Spearman’s second triple made it 21-18.
A drive by Mike Hood stretched the margin to nine late in the half, but John A. Logan scored a couple of baskets before the break to cut the Northeast lead to 28-22.
The Vols opened the second half on a 9-3 run to tie the game at 31-31. A TJ Warren three-pointer and a tip-in from Kedrick Simmons put the Tigers back in front 40-37 at the midpoint of the half, but the visitors moved ahead down the stretch.
Chandler’s three-point play forces overtime
Trailing in the closing minutes, Northeast leaned on its defense. Steals and blocks turned into fast-break points, and Jalen Chandler came up with a steal at midcourt, finished with a dunk through contact and made the free throw to tie the game at 54-54 and send it to overtime.
In the extra period, Spearman hit a mid-range jumper and Hood and Warren added layups to keep the score level at 62-62 with a minute left. On the Vols’ final trip, Chandler blocked a shot with about five seconds remaining, but the ball went to a John A. Logan player who scored and drew a foul to settle the game at 65-62.
By the numbers
Final: John A. Logan 65, Northeast 62 (OT)
Score by period: Northeast led 28-22 at the half; John A. Logan won the second half 32-26 and overtime 11-8
TJ Warren: team-high 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists
Jalen Chandler: 12 points and 11 rebounds, his second straight double-double
Shooting: Northeast 20 of 69 (29.0 percent); John A. Logan 25 of 63 (39.7 percent)
Rebounds: even at 47 apiece
Turnovers: Northeast 11, John A. Logan 16
Bench points: Northeast 16, John A. Logan 4
Lavell Tinsley led the Vols with 19 points, and Justice Decker pulled down 11 rebounds. John A. Logan, based in Illinois, improved to 2-2.
Tigers face Ranger today at 4 p.m.
Northeast gets a quick chance to respond. The Tigers close out the Bonner Arnold Classic today, Friday, Nov. 13, against Ranger College with a 4 p.m. tipoff at Bonner Arnold Coliseum on the Booneville campus.
The Tigers had won their first four games of the 2026-27 season, most recently a 91-64 road win at Arkansas State Mid-South on Tuesday.
Jon R Myers is the executive editor of Alcorn County News and the founder of the Mississippi News Group, which he started in 2013 to cover communities across North Mississippi. He also founded the Mississippi Sports Group in 2006, which grew from a single community publication into a statewide network covering high school and college athletics. He reports on local government, public safety, schools and community life in Corinth and Alcorn County, working from public meetings, agency records and interviews with the people involved. Contact him at editor@alcornnewsms.com with news tips or corrections. For a correction, include the article link and supporting source material.
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