SUMMIT – The Southwest Bears and Lady Bears start off 2015 with a sweep over the Mississippi Delta Trojans in JUCO action Monday night.

In the women’s contest, the Lady Bears defeated the Lady Trojans 66-62. In the men’s game, the Bears knocked off the Trojans 67-60.

Southwest returns to action Thursday night in Goodman as the girls tip off at 6 p.m., followed the boys at 8 against the Holmes Bulldogs.

Southwest 66, Ms. Delta 62 

Unlike their first matchup, a 24-point Southwest win in Moorhead, Monday night’s contest between the Lady Bears and visiting Mississippi Delta was hard fought from start to finish. But, in the end, the Lady Bears prevailed and picked up a 66-62 win to start the second of their season.

The teams were tied six times and exchanged the lead three times in the first half Monday night. A Gabriella Cortez layup with 6:26 to play gave the Lady Bears a seven-point lead, 26-19, the biggest by either team.

The Lady Trojans then scored eight of the next 10 points to pull back to within one, 28-27, with 1:06 to play in the half. Eyonna Wolfe then hit a pair of free throws to send the Lady Bears (6-4) into the locker room with a 30-27 advantage.

The second half proved to be as hard fought as the first with two ties and four lead changes, though it did not appear early that would be the case. Back-to-back baskets from Cortney Epting, one a three pointer, put the Lady Bears up 35-27 with 18:23 left in the game.

Proving they came to play, the Lady Trojans (2-8) then went on a 10-0 run to take a 37-35 lead with 15:22 to play. The teams then traded baskets before a Teshia Jones jumper with 6:04 on the clock put the Lady Bears on top for good, 53-52.

Holding a 62-60 lead with 0:38 remaining, Epting nailed a clutch three-pointer to make the score 65-60 and the Lady Bears held on for the four-point victory.

Cortez led the Lady Bears’ offense with 18 points in the game. Epting and Lillie Snowden also finished in double figures with 15 and 10 points, respectively. Epting picked up 13 in the second half.

Wolfe registered seven points in the game while Talisa Sherman had six. Jones and Madison Mault both netted four points and Aaliyah Williams had two. The Lady Bears made seven of nine free throws.

Niya Head scored 22 points for Mississippi Delta to lead all scorers. The Lady Trojans hit nine of 13 free throws.

Southwest 67, Ms. Delta 60 

Gaining a measure of revenge from an early season loss in Moorhead, the Southwest Bears opened the 2015 portion of their schedule with a 67-60 win over visiting Mississippi Delta Monday night. The Trojans defeated the Bears 75-72 in overtime in November.

A Chris McIntosh three-pointer and Xavion Dillon layup gave the Bears (4-5) an early 5-0 Monday. They later went up by as many as eight, 15-7, with 13:35 left in the half.

The Trojans (5-5) fought back to take their only lead of the game, 23-21, on Darius Dukes’ layup with 4:05 on the clock. With Trent Jeffries scoring seven of the half’s final 11 points, the Bears regained the lead and took a 30-25 advantage into the locker room at the break.

Jeffries’ three-pointer with 13:29 left in the game gave the Bears their first double-digit lead of the night, 41-30. An old-fashioned three-pointer play from McIntosh then increased the lead to 14 points, 53-39, with 7:51 to go.

But, as usual, the Trojans would not go quietly. Outscoring the Bears 17-6, the visitors slowly made their way back into the game, coming to within three points, 59-56, on a Travon Harper jumper with 1:10 to play. That would prove to be the Trojans’ last gasp, however, as the Bears went 8-8 from the free throw line down the stretch to secure the seven-point win.

Jeffries and David Burrell both had 14 points to pace the Bears’ offense while Jaylen Moore was also in double figures with 10 points.

McIntosh and Dillon both picked up eight points with Lafayette Rutledge netting seven. Cliff Fernandez, Justin McCray and LeDerrius Simmons each chipped in two points. The Bears were nearly perfect at the free throw line, hitting 22 of 25.

The Trojans’ Zamarlus Griffin led all scorers with 16 points. The Trojans were also nearly perfect at the charity stripe, going 10 of 12.