PRC girls advance to next round; Picayune boys beat North Pike in double OT

Hattiesburg--The Pearl River Central Lady Blue Devils trailed Picayune 21-20 with 7:45 left in the game, but a 9-0 run and solid free throw shooting enabled PRC to beat Picayune 34-24.

Lakyn Spence, who finished with a team high 10 points, hit a three pointer and added a free throw after being fouled on the three point shot to start the 9-0 run. Spence's four point play put PRC back up 24-20 with 4::44 left.

Spence, Harlie Davis, and Samantha Orgeron combined to make six consecutive free throws in the last two minutes to seal the win. PRC (16-12) will play on the road on Monday against the loser of Friday's Brookhaven-Wingfield game.

Lakyn Spence (32) launches a shot against Picayune

Picayune's boys appeared to have their game put away in regulation, but North Pike's Elijah Martin was fouled on a near half court attempt with 0.3 seconds left. Martin, who finished with 13 points, hit the three free throws to tie the game at 41-41 and send it to overtime.

In the first overtime, Delrae Smith's pair of free throws with :38 left tied the game at 45-45 and forced a second overtime when Picayune missed a shot at the buzzer. Picayune outscored the Jaguars 14 to 6 in the second overtime to pull away and keep their season alive.

Marvun Arnold (left) puts pressure on North Pike's Kevin Evans.

Jordan Griffith, who scored all of his points after halftime, including 10 in the third period, led the Maroon Tide with 17 points. Smith added 13 points and Marvun Arnold scored 12 points.

Picayune (19-10) will play on Tuesday with a road game at the loser of Friday night's Forest Hill-Wingfield matchup.