CLARKSDALE, Miss. (Interstat) — The Northeast Mississippi Tigers built a large early lead and held on to defeat the Coahoma Tigers 63-53 in a men’s junior college basketball game Thursday night. The visiting Tigers opened a 28-20 lead after the first quarter and carried a 63-53 advantage into halftime, with both teams’ defenses stiffening after the break in a second-half stalemate. Michael Johnson led Northeast Mississippi with 19 points, while Jaidyn Rankins scored a game-high 21 points for Coahoma. The result improved Northeast Mississippi to 13-10 and dropped Coahoma to 10-6, avenging a loss from earlier in the season.