POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The No. 14 Pearl River women's basketball team fought all the way back from a 17-point deficit Friday night in the Region 23 Semifinal, but it wasn't enough as Mississippi Delta won the game 71-64.

"In life, things don't always go as you planned. Mississippi Delta deserves credit for coming in here and beating us," head coach Scotty Fletcher said. "We dug ourselves into a hole and fought back, so I am proud of that. We did a heck of a job in that third quarter to get back into it.

"I think we still have basketball left to play. We won 25 ball games and a conference championship. Our resume is strong, and there's a reason they give eight at-large bids."

The Wildcats will hope to receive an at-large bid into the upcoming NJCAA National Tournament in Casper, Wyoming. The bracket will be announced Sunday at 5 p.m. 

Pearl River (25-3 overall) dug itself in a big hole after two quarters of play against Mississippi Delta (21-6), trailing 36-22 after 20 minutes of action.

The third quarter of the night was something special for Pearl River as the Wildcats outscored the Trojans 25-11 to fight back into the contest. The Trojans pulled ahead 40-29, but PRCC went on an impressive 12-2 run to get within a point. The run was almost exclusively dominated by Sydney Lewis (Upper Marlboro, Md.; McLean School). The sophomore scored seven points, Paris Gilmore (Youngstown, Ohio; Warrensville Heights) nailed an up-and-under layup and Mattison Bell (Philadelphia; Choctaw Central) drilled a 3-pointer. The Wildcats trailed by one 42-41.

Gilmore evened things up for the Wildcats with 5.9 seconds remaining as she hit a pair of free throws. The 42-42 scoreline was the first time Pearl River wasn't trailing since it led 7-6 with five minutes left in the first quarter.

MDCC took control early in the fourth quarter, and the Wildcats could never regain control as the Trojans went on to win the game 71-64.

LEADING THE WAY
Gilmore led PRCC's efforts with 16 points. She also had four assists and three steals. Lewis finished with a 15-point, 14-rebound double-double. Jackson tallied 11 points, two rebounds and an assist.

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