GOODMAN, Miss. — The No. 10 Pearl River basketball team had its hands full on the opening night of the Bulldog Classic against Lee College. Although the Wildcats battled back from a 13-point deficit, the Navigators came away with a 58-55 victory.
"I know the score wasn't the outcome that we wanted, but I honestly thought that might've been our best game all year," head coach Chris Oney said. "Especially from an execution and competitiveness standpoint. We still need to be able to make some of those tough plays down the stretch. All in all, I was proud of them and the effort that they gave."
FIRST HALF
Pearl River (5-2 overall) took a 10-8 lead with about 13 minutes in the first quarter as Jermahri Hill (Bessemer, Ala.; Berkmar) caught a pass in the corner and drained a 3-pointer.
Lee College (4-2¬) snatched the lead right back a few possessions later, knocking down its own 3-pointer to go ahead 13-12.
Jakari Livingston (Pine Bluff, Ark.; Wilbur D. Mills) put the Wildcats back in front with under 10 minutes left in the first half, converting the old-fashioned 3-pointer. He drove inside and got his contact layup to fall while drawing a foul. He stepped to the free-throw line and promptly knocked it down to make the score 15-13.
One possession later, Cam Brown (Hattiesburg) added three more to the PRCC total, catching a pass at the top of the key and knocking down the wide-open 3-pointer.
Brown struck again soon after. The sophomore slashed inside, bodied up a defender and got his layup to fall through the contact. The basket made the score 21-17.
The Navigators didn't stop fighting, however, battling back to take a 25-22 lead with a series of layups. Before the halftime buzzer sounded, Livingston cut the deficit to one point at 25-24 after banking a shot off the backboard and into the basket.
SECOND HALF
Lee College came out of the break on fire, going on a massive 12-0 run to extend its lead to 37-24. The Wildcats finally put an end to the run with a 5-0 run of their own that made the score 37-29.
Back-to-back good plays from Hill helped the Wildcats cut the deficit to seven points at 40-33. He drove inside and got his heavy contact layup to fall. The next possession saw him catch a pass at the top of the key from Dylan Brumfield (Oak Grove) before slashing inside and smoothly laying it off the glass.
A big play on the defensive end by the Wildcats immediately sparked an important basket. Lee College drove inside for what looked like was going to be an easy layup. Carlous Williams (Hattiesburg; Harrison Central) jumped up and swatted the shot out of the air to give the basketball back to the Wildcats. PRCC quickly rushed the ball down the court and after three quick passes, Ayub Nurhussein knocked down a corner 3-pointer to slice the deficit to four points at 40-36.
After a quick Lee College layup, Williams promptly knocked down a 3-pointer to make the score 42-39. On the next offensive possession, Williams had a ball poked away from him but Preston Turner (Laurel; West Jones) picked up the loose ball and laid it in. The basket pulled the Wildcats within one point at 42-41.
Pearl River took its first lead of the second half at 46-45 soon after. Another massive block from Williams was backed up by an equally as impressive play on the offensive side. Hill drove inside to draw all the defenders before passing back to Williams who was just behind the free-throw line. The sophomore forward quickly went up and knocked home the basket.
Lee fought back to retake 53-51 late in the contest and rode the momentum to a 58-55 victory.
LEADING THE WAY
Brown led the Wildcats in scoring with 14 points. Hill narrowly trailed him with 13. Williams was the last Wildcat in double figures, finishing with 11 points.
NEXT UP
Pearl River returns to the court Saturday for day two of the Bulldog Classic. The Wildcats are set to take on Southern Arkansas Tech at 1 p.m. in Goodman. The game will be livestreamed at HolmesCCMedia.com.
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