PERKINSTON, Miss. — The No. 19 Pearl River women's basketball team had to work for it Friday afternoon but earned a 66-53 victory over Calhoun on the first day of the Gulf Coast Classic.
"I thought Calhoun was extremely well-coached. They have a really good ball club," head coach Scotty Fletcher said. "I was so proud of our girls and the way they handled their pressure and executed in a timely fashion — on offense and defense. Our defensive execution was really good at critical times in the ball game, which allowed us to create some easy baskets and regain the momentum."
Pearl River (3-0 overall) found itself in a bad position in the early going against Calhoun (1-2), trailing 7-2 a few minutes into the contest. The Wildcats started to climb back into things shortly after, pulling within one at 9-8 following a Roge'Ne' Hillard (Hazlehurst; Copiah Academy) spinning layup in the lane. Pearl River took its first lead of the contestwith 3:15 remaining in the first quarter as Paris Gilmore (Youngstown, Ohio; Warrensville Heights) drained a wide-open 3-pointer from the right side.
When the opening quarter of the game wrapped up, PRCC was clinging to a 20-16 advantage.
Pearl River began to pad its lead in the second quarter and led 25-18 a few minutes in. Syndey Lewis (Upper Marlboro, Md.; McLean School) provided the highlight play. The sophomore was fed a pass below the rim, pump-faked to lose a defender and kissed the ball softly off the glass for two points. Jazmine Jackson (Jacksonville, Fla.; Andrew Jackson) and Gilmore combined to make PRCC's lead 27-21. Gilmore dribbled hard toward the baseline and dished a bounce pass behind the back of her defender to find Jackson. Jackson cut inside quickly and laid the ball up and in. Pearl River carried a 36-28 lead into the break.
The third quarter of the game was just as tightly contested as PRCC's lead was cut down by a point, leading 53-46. In the fourth quarter, Pearl River built on its lead and went on to earn a 13-point 56-53 victory.
BY THE NUMBERS
Jackson, Gilmore, and Lewis tied for the team lead in points with 12 apiece. Peyton Hearvey (Tupelo) also finished in double figures with 10 points. Hillard tacked on nine points.
"Our post players did an elite job of attacking the glass on both ends and being effective with their post presence when we went to them," Fletcher said. "I thought Peyton was the x-factor and the player of the game. Her activity was incredible, and she made big-time play after big-time play.
"Our guard play was really good, especially Paris, controlling the tempo and getting us into our offensive sets and executing when it was timely. We shared the basketball tonight, and I thought it was a quality team win over a very well-coached opponent."
NEXT UP
The Wildcats return to the court tomorrow at 1 p.m. against Enterprise State. The game will be livestreamed at MGCCCBulldogs.com/watch.