POPLARVILLE, Miss. — Everyone knows you can throw everything out the window and expect a battle until the end when rivals Pearl River and Gulf Coast meet in any sport.
The men's basketball Wildcats had to endure 17 lead changes Thursday night inside a raucous Marvin R. White Coliseum but pulled away late to earn an important victory over the Bulldogs 75-67. PRCC now is in sole possession of first place in the MACCC, sitting at 6-0.
"I can't wait to go back and watch this film," head coach Chris Oney said. "We always talk about the process. Every game is a championship game. Every team tries something different against us. We just have to figure things out. We didn't have it going early tonight, but the switch flipped, and these guys took the game over."
Things didn't start off great for Pearl River (17-3 overall; 6-0 MACCC) against Gulf Coast (12-8; 2-4) as the Bulldogs got off to a hot start and led 15-11 with just over 12 minutes remaining in the first half. Pearl River moved in front briefly with 9:36 left as Joah Chappelle (Atlanta, Ga.; Dutchtown) dished a pass underneath the basket for Jayden Sampson (Cleveland; Cleveland Central), who knocked down a reverse layup, 18-17.
MGCCC immediately took the lead back with a bucket of its own. Kedrick Osby (Moss Point) then drove hard to the basket and got a layup to fall through heavy contact to push PRCC right back in front, 20-19. Again, the Bulldogs fought back, taking the lead and maintaining control through the rest of the first half, 35-34.
The back-and-forth was most prominent in the second half as the teams exchanged blows to the tune of 10 lead changes. Jamarion Smith (Magnolia; South Pike) gave PRCC its first lead of the second half with 14:54 remaining, snatching an offensive rebound and putting it through the hoop in the same motion, 40-39. The teams traded the lead twice more before Gulf Coast stretched out a four-point lead, 46-42.
The momentum seemed to switch with an incredible play by Chappelle, who drove the lane and threw down a posterizing tomahawk slam over a Gulf Coast defender, 46-44. MGCCC nailed a free throw before Krystian Lewis (Monroe, La.; Wossman) tied things up by scoring through a foul and hitting the ensuing free throw, 47-47.
After trading the lead four more times, Pearl River pulled ahead for what proved to be the final time, using an 11-0 run to get it done. Chappelle started things by weaving his way around defenders and inside the paint for a basket despite being fouled. He hit his free throw, and PRCC led 54-52. Zahir Gutierrez (Olive Branch) set the crowd on fire on the next offensive possession as he caught a pass at the top of the arc and drilled an ever-important 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a 57-52 advantage. Lewis was acrobatic underneath the basket for the next Wildcat score, somehow getting a layup to fall despite heaving it up. Chappelle added what felt like a dagger in the moment. The 6-foot-9 forward moved from underneath the basket to the top of the arc to provide some help as the shot clock was expiring. He caught a pass, had a defender in his face and drilled a deep 3-pointer to give Pearl River a 10-point lead, 62-52.
The dunk party started as the Wildcats gained firm control of the game. Lewis moved the scoreline to 69-63 late by taking away an errant pass, dashing down the court and throwing down a two-handed slam that put the crowd on its feet. Osby followed a few possessions later with a thunderous one-handed slam, 71-65.
Forced to foul, the Bulldogs sent the Wildcats to the free-throw line a few more times, and PRCC secured a 75-67 victory.
LEADING THE WAY
Lewis finished with 23 points — his fourth 20-point game of the year. He did the damage on 8-for-16 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers. He also added in three assists, two rebounds and two steals.
Chappelle was second with 18 points. He also secured 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the year.
Osby rounded out those in double figures with 16 points. He hauled in five rebounds, one assist and one block.
Smith had six rebounds, three assists and three blocks.
"These guys are always in the gym," Oney said. "I think we need to invest in some cots so they can just sleep in the gym. I can't keep these guys from working."
1994-95 CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
At halftime of the contest, Pearl River honored the 1994-95 MACJC Championship team. During the season, the Wildcats won the title for the first time since 1965, going 21-11 along the way. The team consisted of head coach Richard Mathis and assistants Kyle Roane, Brian Mathis and Anthony Stallings. Members of the team included Larry Bridges, Jimmy Cuyler, Marco Felix Joseph Holloway, Jason Hutchins, Donnie Johnson, Travis Jones, Ray McGill, Omar Nelson, Curtis Newsome, Lawrence Nixon, Blair Smyly, Donnell Spriggs and Conly Verdun.
NEXT UP
Pearl River hits the road Monday for a 7:30 p.m. game against Northwest. The game will be livestreamed at NWCCRangers.com/Watch.
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