COLUMBIA, Tenn. — The Pearl River women's basketball team kept up its hot start to the season Friday evening as it moved to 9-0 for the second consecutive year with an 80-26 rout of Columbia State.

The 9-0 start matches the best start to a season under the direction of Pearl River coach Scotty Fletcher.

"Today's win was a reflection of our defense, our bench energy, and our bench contribution," Fletcher said. "I thought we had supreme discipline in a lot of areas. We were able to create turnovers for easy offense. 

"We did a phenomenal job of sharing the basketball. Probably better than any game in my eight years here."

Fletcher talked about why coaching at Pearl River was special to him.

"Pearl River is truly a special place. It starts at the top with our leadership," he said. "We have a phenomenal group of coaches and student-athletes."

HOW IT HAPPENED
Pearl River (9-0 overall) came out of the gate on fire to start the day, building a 17-point, 21-4 lead over Columbia State (0-15) at the end of the first quarter.

The Wildcats continued their dominance throughout the second quarter of the evening and eventually entered the break with a massive 40-10 lead.

The third quarter saw PRCC outscore CSCC 19-12, which helped the lead grow to 59-22.

Pearl River's defensive play took up a notch to start the fourth quarter, allowing just four points and cruising to a massive 80-26 victory.

BY THE NUMBERS
Every Wildcat who entered the game was able to get on the score sheet in the big victory.

"Any time that you are heading into a break, you get worried about losing focus," Fletcher said. "Our message to our team was to be where our feet were and we did that. These girls have done everything that I've asked since August 1. I'm so proud of them."

Halle Traylor (Tupelo) led the way for PRCC with 14 points. She knocked down four 3-pointers in the contest.

J'Mani Ingram (North Augusta, S.C.) was second on the team with nine points.

Khyla Ragins (Booneville; Harrison Central) chipped in eight points.

NEXT UP
The Wildcats have a quick turnaround as they head to Gadsden State for a 2 p.m. tipoff tomorrow. The game will be livestreamed at youtube.com/@gadsdenstateathletics8010/streams