GOODMAN, Miss. — The No. 15 Pearl River women's basketball team scored the first basket of the night and never looked back in a dominant 68-37 victory over Holmes on Monday in the Frank Branch Coliseum on Holmes' Goodman campus.
"I thought it was a huge team win on the road," PRCC head coach Scotty Fletcher said. "It is a very close-knit team and a special group to coach.
"Tonight was the most important game on the schedule. Holmes is an extremely dangerous team. I have a lot of respect for them, the coach and their program. I thought we handled it from a maturity standpoint very well. The girls have been growing in the right direction."
Pearl River (21-2 overall, 10-1 MACCC) used stifling defense and balanced offense all night to keep the home-standing Holmes Bulldogs (11-14 overall; 4-5 MACCC) on their heels all night.
"Holmes is an extremely well-coached, very talented ball club. We knew we had to be locked in defensively with our scheme and our rotations," Fletcher said. "The girls did a really good job of executing the scouting report. We did a good job of making sure we were focused on defense and let our defense create our offense.
"I thought Jae'la Smith (Vicksburg; Porter's Chapel) did an exceptional job of rebounding for us tonight and having such a defensive presence."
For most of the first half, the Wildcat defense kept the Bulldog offense at bay, with Holmes relying on points from the charity stripe as their primary source for scoring.
On offense, Pearl River called on multiple shooters early to build a quick 10-3 lead over the Bulldogs. A lay-up by Mikayla Riley (Tupelo) and a nice drive and floater in the lane by Smith helped the Wildcats build the early seven-point lead.
A couple of baskets by Sydney Lewis (Upper Marlboro, Md.; McLean School) and a slick basket by Mattison Bell (Philadelphia, Miss.; Choctaw Central) helped the Wildcats to extend the lead to ten after the first period, 18-8. On the play, Bell, at the top of the key, faked a pass down and low, drawing the defense to the left side of the lane, and Bell exploded to through the right side of the lane for a lay-up.
The Wildcats carried the momentum from the first quarter to open the second period on a 10-point run, extending the lead to 20 points, 28-8. The Pearl River run was highlighted by 3-pointers by Natasha Barnes (Chicago, Ill.; Kenwood Academy) and Riley.
Paris Gilmore (Youngstown, Ohio; Warrensville Heights) helped fuel the Pearl River with two assists on back-to-back Wildcat scoring possessions. Gilmore drove through the lane and found Riley on the back post with a quick pass, 36-16. On the Wildcat's next scoring possession, Gilmore drove the lane and hit Bell with a behind-the-back pass for an easy lay-up, 38-16.
Pearl River extended their lead to 23 points at the end of the half when Sanyla Smith (Tupelo) found an open Barnes for a 3-pointer, 41-18.
The Bulldogs found their offense early in the second half, preventing the Wildcats from building on their first-half lead, 45-27, until Barnes got the hot hand again.
Barnes created a steal following a Holmes defensive rebound and quickly scored for PRCC, 47-27. Barnes followed with a 3-pointer from the right wing, giving PRCC a 23-point lead, 50-27. On Pearl River's next scoring possession, Bell passed the ball off to Barnes at the top of the key, and Barnes drove to the right side of the basket for a lay-in and foul. Barnes sank the free throw to give the Wildcats a 26-point lead, 52-27 late in the third quarter.
Lewis and Barnes opened the fourth quarter with two quick baskets to bring the Wildcat lead to 29, 58-29.
Following a Peyton Hearvey (Tupelo) rebound and putback, 62-31, Hearvey found Lewis, who had a nice spin move in the lane past her defender for a lay-up, 64-31.
With the Wildcats leading 64-34, Kori Ware (Pontotoc) tipped a Bulldog pass. Gilmore corralled the loose ball, drove the court, and converted on a shot in the low post, 66-34. Bell closed out the scoring for The River with a drive past multiple defenders for a lay-in, 68-34. Holmes hit a long 3-pointer in the final minute before Pearl River ran out the clock to secure a 68-37 victory.
BY THE NUMBERS
Barnes led all scorers with 21 points, Lewis added 13 and Riley had 11.
"Tasha's (Barnes) basketball IQ is second to none. Her Paris (Gilmore) and Matti (Bell) are like a three-headed monster in terms of playing together," Fletcher said. "Mikayla (Riley) continues to be really important to the team."
NEXT UP
The Wildcats will return home Thursday and host rival Jones in the Marvin R. White Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
TUNE IN
All home Pearl River basketball games are livestreamed for free at PRCCMedia.com/Gold. Fans with 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.
For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on X (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).