on their marks

The state junior college playoffs are set — almost. Pearl River Community College and Mississippi Gulf Coast CC meet today in a one-game playoff to determine the 4-seed from the MACJC South Division. The winner earns a trip to Fulton to face North No. 1 Itawamba in the best-of-3 playoff round. The other matchups: South No. 1 Jones County will host Northwest; South No. 2 Hinds greets Northeast; and North No. 2 Holmes welcomes East Central. The first game in each series is Friday, Games 2 and 3 on Saturday. The winners advance to the state tournament next weekend; the NJCAA Division II Region 23 Tournament follows a week later. The survivor of all that is a worthy champion.
P.S. Delta State, just a 3-seed in the Gulf South Conference Tournament, might be considered the favorite now that the event has been moved to Ferriss Field. The bad weather in Millington, Tenn., necessitated a move, and DSU was happy to accommodate. The Statesmen might need to win the tournament, for the 12th time, to make the NCAA Division II tourney field and having their fans behind them will be a big lift.