POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The No. 13 Pearl River women's basketball team was off and running from the tip Saturday afternoon and rode the momentum to an incredible 50-point, 99-49 victory over Southern University – Shreveport.
"I don't know that we've ever had that good of a start," head coach Scotty Fletcher said. "The ball was definitely going in. We had a great shootaround earlier today. Our practice and preparation yesterday were phenomenal, and that kind of stuff carries over."
GAME RECAP
Pearl River (5-0 overall) got off to a blistering start against Southern-Shreveport (2-3) thanks to the unbelievable play of Wright State transfer Taylor Johnson-Matthews (Cleveland, Ohio; Charles F. Brush). The forward was deadly from beyond the arc, slashing home three straight 3-pointers and then added a spinning layup to push the Wildcats ahead 12-2 just a few minutes into the contest.
PRCC continued to put its foot on the gas throughout the middle portion as a pair of Kam Edwards (Jackson; Murrah) 3-pointers extended the lead to 19 points at 24-5.
Pearl River ended the first quarter ahead 36-13 with the help of Audria Houston (Oxford; Tupelo). Just before the quarter ended, she banked in a layup, and on the following possession, she snatched an offensive rebound and pulled up for a jumper.
The 3-point barrage continued as the second quarter began with Avery Young (Iota, La.) assisting Hama'ya Fielder (Philadelphia; Neshoba Central) on back-to-back long balls, 44-15.
Mikayla Riley (Tupelo) provided some excitement with 4:48 remaining in the second quarter as she plucked a ball away from the Jaguar guard and went coast-to-coast for a layup, 51-17.
Janiah Caples (Vicksburg) picked up her first points of the half with 37 seconds remaining, burying a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 61-17. Southern-Shreveport picked up a 3-pointer of its own before the half ended to make the score 61-20 after two quarters.
Young was making plays totally on her own to start the third quarter. She first grabbed a defensive rebound, found herself in a mismatch match against a forward, drove down the court, and laid the ball up and in. The following play saw her pick away a ball from a driving Jaguar and rush it down the court for a layup through heavy contact, 66-20.
Caples completely lost a defender to increase the advantage to 71-23. The freshman drove down the court and into the lane. She faked a pass down low to confuse her defender and had an easy layup. Riley gave PRCC its final points of quarter after refusing to let contact affect her shot and draining layup up off the backboard and in, 76-30.
Riley added a basket thanks to a Samya Brooks (Pontotoc) assist, and on the following offensive possession, Marley Freeman (Brandon) heaved a pass from midcourt to Houston for a layup, 92-42.
Brooks increased the Pearl River advantage to 99-45 with a late layup, and the Wildcats walked away with an impressive 50-point, 99-49 victory.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Johnson-Matthews paced Pearl River in points while playing just seven minutes, collecting 17.
"In only seven minutes," Fletcher said. "She shot it well. Taylor is a phenomenal player, and she got off to an incredible start. We have to keep her going."
Fielder was second with 16 points, aided by a 4-for-5 showing from beyond the arc. Riley finished the day with 14 points, and Houston rounded out those in double-digits with 12.
Caples finished with eight boards, and Roge'Ne' Hillard (Hazlehurst; Copiah Academy) was second with six. Young finished with six assists, and Freeman tallied four.
UP NEXT
Pearl River begins the Northeast Mississippi Thanksgiving Classic on Monday against perennial national title contender Shelton State. The game in Booneville gets underway at 4 p.m. and will be livestreamed at NEMCCTV.com.
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