UTICA, Miss. — The Pearl River men's basketball team persevered through early adversity to pick up a big conference win at Hinds on Saturday. Facing an early nine-point deficit, the Wildcats proved their grit and gutted out a 59-54 victory in the JD Boyd Gym on Hinds' Utica campus.

"We showed tremendous resilence. Tonight was a gut check for us," PRCC head coach Chris Oney said. "This is the first time we have had multiple guys in foul trouble this year. We were able to make some adjustments on the fly and pull out a tough win."

The Hinds matchup is Pearl River's second of four games over an eight-day span. The Wildcats will travel to Meridian on Monday before returning home on Thursday to face Gulf Coast.

"At the start of conference play, we adopted the slogan, 'We are going to play 14 championship games,' so every game is a championship game," Oney said. "So it won't be different on Monday, we will approach it as a championship game. The guys will lock in; they are having so much fun and enjoy playing with each other; I don't think fatigue will be an issue."

Pearl River (15-3 overall; 4-0 MACCC) was able to keep the game close early, 8-4, with baskets by Jamarion Smith (Magnolia, Miss.; South Pike) and Joah Chappelle (Atlanta, Ga.; Dutchtown). Hinds (8-11 overall; 1-3 MACCC) were able to extend the lead to nine with a five-point run, 13-4. A Smith putback off Wildcat miss ended the Bulldog run and cut the deficit to seven, 13-6.

A drive and layin by Krystian Lewis (Monroe, La.; Wossman) cut the Bulldog lead to six, 16-10. Following a pair of free throws by Kedrick Osby (Moss Point), Chappelle cut the lead to two after securing a rebound and dribbling the length of the court for a lay-in, 16-14. A Lewis steal and basket tied the game at 16-16. A short jumper from the right elbow by Lewis gave the Wildcats their first lead of the game, 18-16.

Hinds battled back to reduce the Wildcat lead to one, 23-22 before a Chappelle basket off a slick spin move gave PRCC a three-point lead, 25-22. Osby added two more points for the Wildcats with a drive through the lane, 27-24, before Hinds converted on free throws to tie the game heading into the break, 27-27.

Lewis opened the second half with a cutting drive through the center of the lane for a layup, 29-27. After a spinning layup by Hinds tied the game, Chappelle hit a turnaround jumper from the short corner to give the Wildcats the lead, 31-29.

Osby extended the lead to three after corralling a loose ball and driving to the basket for a layup over a Hinds defender, 34-31. A smooth pass from Lewis to a waiting Chappelle under the basket kept the Bulldogs at bay and kept the Pearl River lead at three, 36-33.

Hinds took the lead with a mid-range jumper and converted a free throw following a Wildcat foul on a layup attempt, 39-38.

Osby hit the Wildcats next eight points to help the Wildcats grab and keep their lead. He started his run with a drive to the right side of the lane for a lay and followed with two big 3-pointers from the corner, the second coming off a nice assist by Zahir Gutierrez (Olive Branch), 46-45. Chappelle helped keep the Wildcat lead at one, 48-47 with going coast-to-coast for a big slam after stealing a Hinds pass.

Hinds took the lead late in the game with a putback after a miss, 49-48.

Lewis gave the Wildcats the lead for good with three points the old fashioned way with 1:32 left in the game. Lewis, at the wing, drove past his defender for a layup and foul. He hit his free throw, giving Pearl River a 51-49 lead. Following a Hinds double dribble in the paint, Lewis struck again with a drive from the top of the key with 43.7 seconds remaining, 53-49. With Hinds turning to fouls to stop the clock, Lewis scored five of the Wildcats last six points, and Pearl River secured a 59-54 road win.

"I thought the minutes we got from Zahir and Jayden Sampson (Cleveland, Miss; Cleveland Central) tonight were huge," Oney said. "I tell them all the time I have full confidence for everyone in our locker room to help us win a game and a championship. The minutes those guys provided us tonight were huge on the road."

LEADING THE WAY
Lewis led the Wildcats with 18 points, Osby had 15, and Chappelle had 14.

NEXT UP
The Wildcats will travel to Meridian on Monday to face the Eagles. The opening tip is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The game will be livestreamed at MCCEagles.live.

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