DECATUR, Miss. — It certainly wasn't easy for the No. 8 Pearl River women's basketball team in its first road test of MACCC play, but the Wildcats came from behind to earn an impressive 71-52 victory over East Central.
"We got down after that first quarter and needed a response," head coach Scotty Fletcher said. "I thought we weren't locked in defensively early. We made some adjustments, and our girls responded the right way in an electric atmosphere."
HOW IT HAPPENED
East Central (11-5 overall; 0-2 MACCC) came out of the gate on fire as the Warriors buried a pair of early 3-pointers and knocked down a layup to take an 8-2 advantage over the Wildcats (15-2; 2-0).
Pearl River started to crawl back into the game and cut the deficit to one point at 13-12 shortly after. The run to close the gap was capped off by Leah Wilcher (Brookhaven) pulling down an offensive rebound and scoring through a hard foul. The former Mississippi/Alabama All-Star athlete stepped to the line and nailed the free throw.
The Warriors immediately surged back in front and built out a six-point lead by the time the first quarter had ended, 23-17.
Mikayla Riley (Tupelo) was huge as soon as the second quarter started, knocking down layups on back-to-back possessions to make it a two-point game. East Central immediately responded with a score of its own, 25-21. That's when Taylor Johnson-Matthews (Cleveland, Ohio; Charles F. Brush) put the Wildcats on her back. Two free throws by Avery Young (Iota, La.) moved them within two, and Johnson-Matthews promptly gave the Wildcats their first lead by hitting a layup and the ensuing free throw, 26-25.
East Central briefly retook the lead before Hama'ya Fielder (Philadelphia; Neshoba Central) and Johnson-Matthews slashed home two consecutive 3-pointers to grab it right back, 32-27. Johnson-Matthews scored five more points in the quarter to finish with 11 in the frame and send PRCC into the break ahead 42-32.
The third quarter saw the Warriors climb right back into the game. PRCC held on to its 10-point advantage for the first few minutes of the quarter and even extended it to 12 points when Tiir Nyok (High Point, N.C.; Southwest Guilford) exploded off the ground to snatch an offensive rebound and score a basket, 49-37. It seemed that East Central couldn't miss afterward, though, as ECCC went on a nice run down the stretch of the quarter to cut its deficit to four points, 50-42.
Fans could tell it was going to be a good quarter for the Wildcats from the first offensive possession. Alexis Arrington (Terry) drove into the lane and dropped a pass over a defender's head for a basket, 54-48. The lead became 59-50 moments later. Marley Freeman (Brandon) moved her way around the arc, passed the ball off to Fielder and immediately set a screen. Fielder sent her 3-pointer right through the hoop.
The Wildcat defense was stingy throughout the rest of the quarter, and the offense continued to add basket after basket, allowing PRCC to secure a 71-52 victory.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Johnson-Matthews finished her night with 27 points and six rebounds. Samya Brooks (Pontotoc) was the only other Wildcat in double figures, finishing with 10 points. She also hauled in nine boards. Nyok finished the night with seven points and seven rebounds. Freeman had a game-high five assists.
UP NEXT
The Wildcats return to Marvin R. White Coliseum on Monday for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff against Hinds.
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.
TICKETS
To help improve traffic flow and fan experience, PRCC athletics box offices will be cashless in 2023-24. Only credit and debit cards will be accepted at the box office. Fans are encouraged to beat the lines and purchase their tickets in advance at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets.
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