POPLARVILLE, Miss. — It came down to the final shot against a stout Itawamba on Thursday evening, but the No. 16 Pearl River women's basketball team fell just short, 42-41, in a defensive contest.

"We gave ourselves every chance; we just needed to execute that last shot with eight seconds left," head coach Scotty Fletcher said. "I feel 100 percent certain that we will respond the right way."

Pearl River (13-2 Overall; 2-1 MACCC) opened the game ahead 4-0 after Itawamba (14-3; 4-0) had a couple of missed shots. Mikayla Riley (Tupelo) scored a fade-away shot off the right side. She went on to close the scoring for the Wildcats in the first quarter with a breakaway layup off the right side; the Wildcats led 11-9.

It wasn't until late in the second quarter that the Wildcats fell behind the Indians, surrendering the lead 14-12. The tightly contest second quarter came to a close with Pearl River trailing 20-18.

The Wildcats scored the first three points of the third quarter to retake the lead before an 11-0 run catapulted the Indians ahead. Natasha Barnes (Chicago, Ill.; Kenwood Academy) scored the Wildcat's first 3-pointer of the evening before launching the second one right after. The lead was cut to 31-29, Itawamba, off the two long balls.

Peyton Hearvey (Tupelo) followed with a 3-pointer of her own as Pearl River recaptured the lead. The Wildcats made it a 10-0 run off a free throw and led 33-32 through three quarters.

The final quarter remained close, with Pearl River ultimately falling behind. With eight seconds left, the Wildcats got themselves into a position for a game-winner, but the Itawamba defense remained strong, and the Wildcats fell 42-41.

BY THE NUMBERS
Sydney Lewis (Upper Marlboro, Md.; McLean School) picked up 10 points. She shot 4-for-10 from the field and 2-for-3 from the free-throw line. She also had 10 rebounds to earn a double-double.

Jazmine Jackson (Jacksonville, Fla.; Andrew Jackson) finished with nine points, going 5-for-10 on free-throw attempts.

Roge'Ne' Hillard (Hazlehurst, Miss.; Copiah Academy) and Barnes both added six points. Barnes had a pair of 3-pointers.

NEXT UP
The Wildcats head to Utica Saturday to take on Hinds. The contest will be livestreamed at HindsCCSports.net.

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