No. 20 Wildcats wow fans in lopsided opener

POPLARVILLE — No. 20 Pearl River put on a show Thursday in its 98-70 season opener at White Coliseum.

The Wildcats (1-0) jumped out to a commanding early lead, and while the Dolphins (0-1) clawed back into the contest, PRCC turned it on when they needed to and pulled away.­

“I think it went exactly the way it should have gone. There were some things we did really well, and then some things we need to clean up,” PRCC coach Chris Oney said. “I was proud of how we started and when we settled down I saw a glimpse of the team we can be.”

Early in the game, fans saw a glimpse of what Oney hopes is a regular occurrence.

Ahead 11-2, LSU transfer Brandon Rachal (Natchitaches, La.; Natchitaches-Central) forced a turnover in PRCC’s end and quickly flipped the ball out to Cedric Brim Jr. (Tupelo; Shannon). The speedy guard broke down the left wing before lofting a pass toward the rim for the crashing Eric Thornton Jr. (Canton; Murrah) to slam home.

“That was awesome to see. I wish we could have done it about 10 more times,” Oney said. “I want to play fast. Playing fast early on, I understand we have to live with mistakes. It’s no different from last year.

“Once we get used to playing together, I think we’ll head in the right direction.”

Oney has lauded his team’s depth, but when his substitutions coincided with the Dolphins easing back into the game. By halftime, PRCC held just a 37-26 advantage.

“We have to do better when I sub. Those guys have to come in with the same type of intensity to build on the lead instead of become stagnant,” Oney said. “We have guys who were highly thought of before they got here and now they’re going to have to come off the bench.”

A 17-4 run early in the second half saw PRCC nearly double-up Delgado at 60-33 and the rout was on from there.