POPLARVILLE, Miss. — No. 15 Pearl River couldn't overcome a sluggish second half Saturday evening against Gadsden State, falling in overtime 73-70 on the final day of the All-State Invitational sponsored by The Pigott Agency.
"We came out flat to start the second half and ended up in a dogfight," head coach Chris Oney said. "You can't do that. You have to act like the score is 0-0 in the first four minutes of the second half. You have to guard and defend like you did at the beginning of the game. If you don't, they look up and see that it's a single-digit game and can claw back.
"We had this game won three times but made a few silly mistakes. We just have to find a way to learn how to correct those. Tonight was a good game. Hopefully, we can grow and learn from it moving forward."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Pearl River (1-1 overall) came out of the gate flying, jumping out to a 9-2 lead over Gadsden State (3-0). The run was highlighted by a putback effort by Ezereke Dawson Jr. (Plant City, Fla.) as well as a David Combest Jr. (Hattiesburg; Forrest County) feed to Dyllion Redmond (Jackson; Callaway) for a score.
PRCC's lead grew to 19-6 and then increased to 17 points as Austin Green (Sicklerville, N.J.; Timber Creek Regional) denied a shot attempt on the defensive side, brought the ball down the court and laid the ball up and into the basket, 23-6.
Gadsden State battled its way back into the game to cut the deficit to eight points at 28-20. Kam Beverly (Jackson; Jackson Academy) nailed a pair of free throws soon after before Cedquavious Hunter (Como; North Panola) hit from long range. On the play, Combest Jr. drove inside, pulling all of the defenders with him in the process. That left Hunter all alone on the outside, which allowed him to slash home a 3-pointer, 34-20.
Each team added another basket before the first-half buzzer sounded, and PRCC headed into the midway point ahead 36-23.
GSCC's second-half adjustments seemed to pay off as the Cardinals almost instantly pulled within six points. Dorien Gooden (Dallas, Texas.; Lancaster) created some offense with his stellar defensive play. The guard blocked a shot, and Hunter scooped up the rebound. He pushed it down the court and found Dawson Jr. inside the paint for an easy basket, 38-30.
The Combest Jr. and Hunter connection struck once again to push the advantage to 41-32. Combest Jr. hit the CSU Bakersfield transfer on the right wing, and he drilled a 3-pointer with a hand in his face.
Gadsden State took its first lead of the evening with 8:29 remaining in the second half, 47-45, but Green tied it right back up with a perfect trip to the free-throw line, 47-47.
The Cardinals roared ahead 52-47 with a 3-pointer and a layup. Beverly slammed down a pass from Gooden, and Hunter drained a 3-pointer from the top of the arc to make it 52 apiece. PRCC retook the lead on the very next possession as Combest Jr. dished inside to the nearby Redmond. The sophomore forward took one dribble and threw down a two-handed slam to make the score 54-52 PRCC.
GSCC tied it once more, but Hunter's acrobatics gave the Wildcats the lead right back. With the shot clock winding down, Hunter drove inside and threw up an off-balance shot that managed to get into the basket. The guard was fouled on the shot attempt and converted his free throw, 57-54.
Gadsden State fought back to take the lead once more in regulation, and Combest Jr. looked like he had given the Wildcats the lead for good seconds later. The guard found himself in a one-versus-one matchup, drove inside the paint and laid the ball into the basket through a foul. He stepped up to the charity stripe and knocked down the free throw, 64-62.
GSCC tied things up with eight seconds remaining, and Hunter's half-court heave was no good to send the game to overtime. The Cardinals took the lead right from the start of the five-minute period and carried the momentum throughout to pick up a 73-70 victory.
BY THE NUMBERS
Pearl River placed five players in double figures, led by Hunter, who finished with 14. Dawson Jr. and Green were second on the team with 12 apiece. Combest Jr. finished with 10 points. Beverly finished with 10 points, six rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
"Coach (Kyle) Lawson said it tonight. When Kam comes in the game, good things happen for us," Oney said. "He just about won the game for us tonight with his play. Hopefully, he can continue that the rest of the season."
Dawson Jr. collected nine rebounds, and Combest Jr. finished with eight. Combest Jr. also had seven assists in the contest.
UP NEXT
Pearl River returns to Marvin R. White Coliseum on Thursday for a 6 p.m. game against Bossier Parish.
TUNE IN
All home Pearl River basketball games are livestreamed for free at PRCCMedia.com/Gold. Fans who have Roku, Amazon Fire or Apple TV devices can also watch the Wildcat broadcasts by downloading the "Pearl River CC" channel from their app stores.
Games will also be available over the air in Pearl River County by tuning into 1320 AM and 106.9 FM. The radio broadcast is also available at WRJWRadio.com and by downloading the WRJW app.
TICKETS
To help improve traffic flow and fan experience, PRCC athletics box offices will be cashless in 2023-24. Only credit and debit cards will be accepted at the box office. Fans are encouraged to beat the lines and purchase their tickets in advance at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets.
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