BATON ROUGE, La. — The Pearl River Wildcats picked up a hard fought win Monday night when they defeated Baton Rouge Community College 86-80 on the road. 

"The kids got their first taste of Region XXIII action on the road tonight," Pearl River coach Chris Oney said. "I don't think we weren't ready to play, I just think Baton Rouge was very well prepared." 

The Wildcats (3-0 overall) set the pace in the first half taking a 40-32 lead into halftime. 

Baton Rouge (1-4) did not go away however cutting into sizable Pearl River leads but ultimately falling short. 

LEADING THE WAY 

Tae Hardy (Ellenwood, Ga.; Believe Prep) led the Wildcats with 30 points on the night. 

Not far behind was Kelvin Allen (Olive Branch) who had 28 points. 

"We needed those two tonight," Oney said. "Kelvin knows what it takes to win at this level and Tae Hardy is a tough kid. They put us on their back tonight."

Rod Brown (Memphis, Tenn.; Cordova) also scored 18 points. 

UP NEXT 

The Wildcats return to action Saturday when they take on Southern University-Shreveport on the road before returning to Marvin R. White Coliseum to take on Baton Rouge in the Wildcat Classic on Nov. 18. 

TUNE IN

All home games will be livestreamed on PRCCMedia.com/gold and can be heard on WRJW 1320 AM or by tuning into the WRJW app.

For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on Twitter (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).