SENATOBIA, Miss. — It took a complete effort to get it done for the Pearl River men's basketball team Monday night at Northwest, but the MACCC-leading Wildcats remained unbeaten in conference with a 79-74 win over the Rangers.

"I thought (Northwest head coach) Shane (Oakley) had a really good gameplan for us," head coach Chris Oney said. I told our guys they were going to play tough because it's getting to the point where they need some wins to make the playoffs. What better way to get some confidence than beating the team in first place?

"They came out ready to play tonight. We got in foul trouble and had to adjust our lineup. Thankfully, we persevered and got it done."

It was as good of a start as it gets for Pearl River (17-3 overall; 6-0 MACCC) against Northwest (7-11; 1-5) as it started things out on a 12-2 run — thanks in part to the efforts of Dylan Sanders (Aurora, Colo.), who nailed back-to-back catch-and-shoot 3-pointers for six points of the run. 

The Rangers briefly broke things up before Sanders hit from beyond the arc for the third time in the game, and Kedrick Osby (Moss Point) caught a pass under the basket, hesitated to lose a defender and got a layup to fall, 17-4.

The Wildcats hit a lull after the basket, and the Rangers fought back to get within three points at 17-14. PRCC responded nicely to the adversity by rattling off a 13-0 run. Joah Chappelle (Atlanta, Ga.; Dutchtown) started it with a perfect trip to the free-throw line, and Krystian Lewis (Monroe, La.; Wossman) nailed his first 3-pointer of the night. Sanders followed by drilling his fourth 3-pointer of the night, 25-14. Jamarion Smith (Magnolia; South Pike) hit nothing but net on a long-range jumper, and Lewis capped off the run with his second 3-pointer, 30-14.

Sanders cashed in for his fifth long ball of the first half a few possessions later, and the Wildcats led 33-18. The Wildcats saw their lead dwindle as the half went along but still headed to the break ahead 41-30.

Things were tight for the Wildcats when the second half rolled around. NWCC quickly erased the double-digit advantage, and the Rangers trailed by just two points, 53-31. Pearl River added a quick seven-point swing to extend the lead to 60-51 with the help of an Osby dunk, a Smith layup and three free throws by Sanders.

The Wildcat lead grew to as much as 12 points in the second half at 67-55 when Sanders hit his sixth 3-pointer of the night — but again, the Rangers didn't lay down. NWCC trimmed PRCC's advantage down to five points, 69-64, to keep itself in the game. Northwest was forced to foul down the stretch to try to climb back in the game, but Lewis and Smith were nearly perfect on their free throw attempts to help close things out, 79-74.

LEADING THE WAY
Sanders had one of his best nights of the season, finishing with 21 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal. He was 6-for-13 from beyond the arc. 

"They came out in zone, and we got him some looks. He just knocked them down," Oney said. "We knew when we recruited him that he would be the one to help us open up the floor when teams played zone. Tonight, it came at the perfect time."

Lewis finished second on the team with 19 points. He added in five assists and three steals.

Osby was money from the free-throw line on the way to a 16-point night. He was a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe. He also pulled in five boards, two steals and an assist. 

Smith finished with a double-double, scoring 15 points and bringing in 10 boards. 

NEXT UP
The Wildcats return to Marvin R. White Coliseum Thursday for a 7:30 p.m. matchup with Southwest.

TUNE IN
All home Pearl River basketball games are livestreamed for free at PRCCMedia.com/Gold. Fans with Roku, Amazon Fire or Apple TV devices can also watch the Wildcat broadcasts by downloading the "Pearl River CC" channel from their app stores.

Games will also be available over the air in Pearl River County by tuning into 1320-AM and 106.9 FM. The radio broadcast is also available at WRJWRadio.com and by downloading the WRJW app.

For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on X (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).