POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The Pearl River men's basketball team didn't seem too rusty after nearly a month away from competition. The Wildcats quickly found their groove, placed five players in double figures and pummeled visiting Baton Rouge Post Grad, 113-51.
"This is still just the second game we've played with our full team," head coach Chris Oney said. "I thought it was important for us to play as many games as we could with everyone in the fold. Some roles have changed, and we're trying to get out and run a bit more. We've got a little bit of things to clean up and help. We need to make sure we get guys in positions to score earlier."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Pearl River (9-2 overall) fell behind in the early going of the contest as Baton Rouge Post Grad scored the game's first four points.
PRCC took its first lead in exciting fashion, moving ahead on an acrobatic play by Austin Green (Sicklerville, N.J.; Timber Creek Regional). The sophomore was fed a pass inside and knocked down an off-balance layup while getting fouled. He then stepped up to the line and nailed a free throw to make the score 5-4.
The play sparked the Wildcats as they embarked on an impressive 11-0 run. The run featured a couple of highlights as Cedquavious Hunter (Como; North Panola) dished off to Dorien Goodman (Dallas, Texas; Lancaster), who fired a high arcing shot through the net for a 3-pointer. On the very next play, Ta'Zir Smith (Woodbridge, Va.; Virginia Academy) plucked the ball away from an unsuspecting Aces played and laid it off the glass and in. The run helped Pearl River pull ahead 16-4.
BRBPGA rallied to cut the deficit to five points at 19-14, but the Wildcats began to pull away once again, scoring 10 unanswered points, 29-14. A pair of baskets from Hunter led the 10-point surge. The first saw him drive through the defense for a layup. The second saw him use the screen to perfection and drain a pull-up jumper.
With 3:28 remaining in the first half, PRCC increased the lead to 42-18 with the help of Davion James (Brandon; Northwest Rankin). After missing a 3-pointer moments prior, James was given a chance for redemption and hit nothing but net on the second attempt. PRCC went into the break ahead 49-22.
Although the Aces scored the first points of the second half, it was all Wildcats from there on out. Smith blocked a shot on the defensive end, which led to a layup by Goodman. Goodman then converted the and-one to make the score 54-22. Soon after, Ezereke Dawson Jr. (Plant City, Fla.) slammed home a quick pass from Goodman, 59-27.
PRCC's lead increased to 66-30 with 16:29 left in the contest as Hunter lobbed a perfect pass that Dawson Jr. caught and threw down with ferocity. The Wildcats continued to pour on the points before Smith made another impressive play. The guard was fed the ball at halfcourt, knifed through the defense and hammered home a one-handed slam dunk, 78-34.
Rich'ard Fraizer (Hattiesburg; Forrest County) joined in on the scoring party with 9:07 remaining, grabbing an offensive rebound and slamming it home all in the same motion, 90-43.
A perfect 3-for-3 trip to the free-throw line for James was followed up by a Dyllion Redmond (Jackson; Callaway) driving slam dunk, 97-43.
The Wildcats kept their foot on the gas throughout the remaining minutes of the contest to walk away with a dominant 113-51 victory over the Aces to begin the spring semester.
BY THE NUMBERS
Pearl River placed five players in double figures on the night, including a game for the ages for Smith. The sophomore guard finished his night with 20 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, five steals and two blocks.
"He was two rebounds away from a 20-20 night as a guard," Oney said. "He does things so easy that I am expecting more out of him, and when I see the stat sheet — he's filling it up. Every minute that he plays on the court, he's getting better and better."
Green wrapped the evening up with a game-high 25 points and 13 rebounds. Hunter finished with 18 points, Dawson Jr. had 14 and James had 14.
Redmond finished with double-digit rebounds, bringing in 12 rebounds.
NEXT UP
Pearl River returns to the court Saturday at 4 p.m. as Baton Rouge makes the trip to Marvin R. White Coliseum. The game will serve as the Wildcats' sophomore night.
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.
For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on X (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).