POPLARVILLE, Miss. – The Pearl River women's basketball team (14-0 overall; 4-0 MACCC) survived a tough Meridian (13-3; 2-2) team to remain undefeated on the season on Tuesday night. Both teams struggled with turnovers which led to an early back-and-forth game. The Wildcats relied on their post game and production from the bench to pull out the 66-58 win in PRCC's Marvin R. White Coliseum.
"Our bench tonight, four girls in double figures, they only had two," Pearl River coach Scotty Fletcher said. "Our effort was really good tonight, going up and getting boards. Anytime you get 18 offensive rebounds, that gives you second-chance opportunities."
FIRST QUARTER
Both teams struggled to find the basket as they traded turnovers at the beginning of the game. Zi'A Shields (Lawrence; Newton) opened the scoring for both teams with a layup at the 8:17 mark of the first quarter.
Both teams traded possession before Meridian went on a five-point run early in the quarter to grab their first lead of the night, 9-4. J'Mani Ingram (North Augusta, S.C.) broke Meridian's run to bring the score to 9-6.
Meridian extended their lead again to five before a Tierra Simon (Houston, Texas; Heights) 3-pointer brought the Wildcats within two, 11-9. Ty'Mesha Reed (Meridian) gave the Wildcats the lead, 14-13, a lead they held for the remainder of the first quarter, 22-16.
SECOND QUARTER
The second quarter saw both teams struggle with limiting turnovers. Marcavia Shavers (Biloxi) helped the Wildcats build their lead throughout the quarter with back-to-back baskets midway through the quarter.
The Wildcats went into halftime with a 33-24 lead.
THIRD QUARTER
After a quick Meridian basket to open the third quarter, Halle Traylor (Tupelo) hit a corner 3-pointer to extend the Wildcats' lead to ten, 36-26. After Meridian closed the gap to six, Shavers helped the Wildcats maintain the lead with a strong basket in the paint off an assist by Khyla Ragins (Booneville; Harrison Central).
Also contributing was Hama'ya Fielder (Philadelphia, Miss.; Neshoba Central) with a 3-pointer from the corner and Ingram with a strong basket in the paint. After another Shavers basket to bring the lead to 46-38, Meridian went on a six-point run to close the half, bringing PRCC's lead to three, 46-43.
FOURTH QUARTER
The Wildcats struggled to build their lead early in the fourth quarter. A nice Jaliscia Florence (Tupelo) pass to Simon under the basket gave the Wildcats a 51-47 lead. Moments later, a Simon block led to an Ingram layup and the Wildcats led, 53-48.
Ingram extended the Wildcats lead to seven, 55-48, when she scored again with a strong putback on a missed Wildcat shot. PRCC took advantage of their presence in the paint with scoring by Simon and Ingram to give the Wildcats a 62-55 lead. Traylor closed out the Wildcats scoring with four free throws on consecutive possessions to seal the Wildcat victory, 66-58.
LEADING THE WAY
Two Wildcats ended the night with double-doubles, Shavers with 11 points and 11 rebounds and Simon had 11 points and 10 rebounds. Ingram came off the bench to lead all scorers with 15 points, followed by Traylor with 14.
Fletcher commented on coaching this year's team.
"I'm really proud to coach this bunch. It is a special bunch, a fun group to coach," he said. "They are talented and have good character on and off the court."
NEXT UP
The Wildcats return to the court on Thursday as they make the short trip to Perkinston to take on Mississippi Gulf Coast. Tipoff inside Dantzler Arena is 6:00 PM.
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