Pearl River wins big over Southwest in return to Marvin R. White Coliseum
Richard Gleber - PRCC Sports Media
POPLARVILLE, Miss. – The Pearl River men’s basketball team (12-5; 4-3 MACCC) got back into the win column with a 69-54 win over the Southwest Bears (10-9; 3-4) on Thursday. Marvin R. White Coliseum on PRCC’s Poplarville campus was jumping as the Wildcats took a 3-2 lead and never looked back.
“We were playing defense the way I know that we have to play to beat not just good teams, but all teams in this league,” PRCC coach Chris Oney said. “Their aggression on defense carried over to offense.”
FIRST HALF
Carlous Williams (Hattiesburg; Harrison Central) got the Wildcat on the board with a 3-pointer at the 17:37 mark. Williams’ three started an eight-point run that included another Williams three and a Cam Brown (Hattiesburg) steal, which he converted into a layup and brought the score to 8-2. The Bears fought back and closed the gap to one, 11-10, before the Wildcats went on another six-point run. Williams scored four points during the run, one basket coming on a big dunk off a Euro Step, and Dylan Brumfield (Oak Grove) added two with a nice jumper in the paint.
The Wildcats started making their presence made in the paint as Preston Turner (Laurel; West Jones) came down with a strong rebound and scored two free throws after he was fouled on a shot attempt. Ty Moore (Grenada) got into the scoring column after a big offensive rebound and putback brought the score to 24-14. After both teams traded baskets, the Wildcats closed out the first half with an 8-point run and extended their lead to 14 points, 34-20. Jermahri Hill (Bessemer, Ala.; Berkmar) started the run with an athletic basket as he cut through the lane and passed the Bears defender for a layup. Brown followed with a block of a Bear shot to thwart a Southwest basket. Ayub Nurhussein (Hamilton, Ontario; Toronto Basketball Academy) joined the party with a nice steal of a Southwest pass and drive to the basket around a defender for a layup. Kylan Baggett (Starkville) closed out the half with two free throws.
SECOND HALF
The Bears shrunk the lead to 38-36 at the beginning of the second half. A Williams 3-pointer stopped the Bears' momentum and gave the Wildcats an 11-point lead, 39-28. A monster dunk by Williams off a Brumfield assist ignited the crowd, 43-30.
Hill extended the lead on the next Wildcat possession with a 3-pointer as the shot clock wound down, 46-30. After a Southwest timeout, Hill hit a long three that capped a 10-point Wildcat run, 49-30. Later in the half, Hill got the crowd on their feet with a dunk off a perfectly placed lob by Brumfield, 51-34.
The Bears were persistent and closed the deficit to six points, 51-45. Moore increased the Wildcat lead to 10, 57-47, on a dunk off a Brumfield assist.
The Bears were able to bring their deficit to seven, 60-53, with 3:20 remaining in the game. The Wildcats closed the game with a 9-1 run, with all nine points coming on free throws to secure a 69-54 victory.
LEADING THE WAY
Williams led all scorers with 20 points while adding eight rebounds, two assists and one steal.
PRCC’s Carlous Williams scores against the visiting Southwest Bears
(Photo: Trenton Gascho/PRCC Athletics)
“Tonight was probably one of his best games as a Wildcat,” Oney said of Williams. “Throw away the stat sheet, as far as his presence on the court.”
Hill added 14 points and three assists, followed by Brumfield with 11 points, three assists, and two blocks. Brown had another solid night with seven points, one assist, two blocks, and two steals.
NEXT UP
The Wildcats return to the court on Monday when they travel to Wesson to play the Co-Lin Wolves. Tipoff inside the Mullen Gymnasium is 6:00 PM and will be livestreamed at www.colinathletics.com/watch.
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