POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The No. 15 Pearl River women's basketball team had to come from behind twice against Chattahoochee Valley Friday night inside Marvin R. White Coliseum but walked away with a hard-fought 13-point, 58-45 victory.

"I have to give credit to Chattahoochee. They were extremely well-coached," head coach Scotty Fletcher said. "They change defenses a lot like us and make you execute. I think we did a much better job of executing to start the third quarter. The girls were tough. They battled for 40 minutes, and we pulled out the win."

The Wildcats (6-0 overall) had to come from behind in the early going against Chattahoochee Valley (0-3), trailing 8-5 with 3:28 remaining in the first quarter. PRCC got hot in the final minutes of the frame. Jazmine Jackson (Jacksonville, Fla.; Andrew Jackson) hit a pair of free throws that gave the Wildcats an 11-9 lead with just over one minute left. One possession later, Mattison Bell (Philadelphia; Choctaw Central) nailed a 3-pointer to make the score 14-9. Just before the first quarter ended, PRCC dished a pass down low to Thailan Payne (Southaven; Desoto Central), and the Arkansas-Monticello transfer knocked down a buzzer-beating layup, 16-11.

The Pirates wasted no time getting back into the contest, turning an early 19-13 deficit into a 20-19 lead. The Wildcats then put their foot on the gas. Natasha Barnes (Chicago, Ill.; Kenwood Academy) sandwiched four free throws around a Jackson spinning layup to make the score 25-21. Jackson then nailed two free throws, 27-21.

Barnes hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions for Pearl River, and the Wildcats eventually carried a 34-26 advantage into the midway point.

Pearl River used some trickeration to open the third quarter. When the teams took to the court, the Pirates set up on the wrong side of the court. PRCC didn't let CVC know of its mistake, inbounded the pass to Paris Gilmore (Youngstown, Ohio; Warrensville Heights), and she went straight to the rim for an unimpeded basket, 36-26.

Five consecutive CVC points cut the PRCC lead in half before PRCC fired off six in a row. Freshman guard Bell started the run as she euro stepped into the lane, saw Sydney Lewis (Upper Marlboro, Md.; McLean School) cutting inside and dished a pass over the shoulder of her defender for a basket. Mikayla Riley (Tupelo) scored the next Wildcat basket, and Roge'Ne' Hillard (Hazlehurst; Copiah Academy) capped it with a putback, 42-31. The quarter ended with PRCC ahead 43-32.

With 4:42 remaining in the contest, Barnes connected with Riley. Barnes drove the baseline, kicked a pass from underneath to the left corner, and Riley hit nothing but net on her 3-pointer. Three possessions later, Bell buried a 3-pointer from the left wing, 51-40.

Chattahoochee Valley continued to push the Wildcats, but PRCC had enough success at the free-throw line down the stretch to earn a 58-45 win.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Jackson had another fantastic night for the Wildcats, finishing with a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double. She also added six assists. Barnes also had 10 points in the contest.

NEXT UP
The Wildcats play Chattahoochee Valley on the road Tuesday. The game will get underway at 5:30 p.m. EST or 4:30 p.m. CT.

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