POPLARVILLE, Miss. — It was a playoff atmosphere Monday night inside Marvin R. White Coliseum as the Pearl River men's basketball team erased a double-digit deficit against Holmes.
Unfortunately, PRCC's go-ahead 3-pointer with three seconds remaining rattled around the rim and popped out for a 62-60 loss.
"This game felt like a conference or playoff game. That was fun," head coach Chris Oney said. "I sure wish that shot would have gone in. That shot is supposed to go in. Krystian makes that shot nine times out of 10."
Holmes (3-1 overall) stormed out to an 11-5 lead to open the night against Pearl River (2-2) before the Wildcats started to fight back. Jayden Sampson (Cleveland; Cleveland Central) caught a dish down low from Joah Chappelle (Atlanta, Ga.; Dutchtown) for a layup. Krystian Lewis (Monroe, La.; Wossman) followed by draining a pull-up jumper.
The Wildcats took a 16-14 lead with 9:52 remaining in the first half as Chappelle fought through a foul on his way to the basket and scored, then nailed his free-throw attempt. Holmes briefly squared up the game, but Chappelle turned in an identical play to his from moments before to push PRCC back ahead 19-16.
Holmes evened the game back up twice more, pulling level at 22-22 and 25-25. Chappelle gave PRCC a shot of momentum by charging in for a rim-rattling dunk to move in front 27-25. PRCC entered the break with a five-point, 35-30 lead as Jamarion Smith (Magnolia; South Pike) tipped a ball that had bounced out from the rim back in for a basket.
The Wildcats were flat to begin the second half and Holmes started to take advantage with alley-oop connections. By the time the clock reached 14:41, the Bulldogs had opened up an eight-point lead, 45-37.
The Holmes advantage swelled to 10 points with just over 10 minutes remaining in the contest, 56-46. The PRCC comeback bid began when the Wildcats went down 59-49. Chappelle weaved his way inside the lane for a layup, and Sampson pulled down an offensive rebound and scored on the next possession, 59-53.
Holmes picked up a basket of its own before Lewis drove in from the corner and fought his way to the rim for a layup. The next offensive possession ended in another Lewis basket, and PRCC trailed by just four points, 61-57.
With 1:17 remaining, Zahir Gutierrez (Olive Branch) hit the biggest shot of his collegiate career, draining a 3-pointer off an assist by Lewis to move PRCC within one, 61-60.
One more point was added to the Bulldog total following a free throw, 62-60. Holmes went down the court soon after and missed two baskets that could have extended its lead. Chappelle pulled down the defensive rebound and pushed PRCC down the court. The Wildcats created the shot that they wanted with Lewis wide-open in the left corner. The freshman's shot sailed through the air, rattled its way around the rim and popped out, which allowed the Bulldogs to secure the win, 62-60.
LEADING THE WAY
Chappelle had an excellent night for the Wildcats, finishing with a team-high 22 points. He pulled down six boards.
Kedrick Osby (Moss Point) earned a double-double, finishing with 13 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. He also blocked two shots.
UP NEXT
Pearl River remains at Marvin R. White Coliseum Wednesday for a 6 p.m. tipoff against Southwest Tennessee.
TICKETS
Basketball season tickets are available now for $86, granting access to all home regular-season games. Single-game tickets are $8 in advance and $10 on the day of the game. Tickets can be purchased at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets.
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.
For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on X (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).