POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The Pearl River men's basketball team stifled a red-hot Itawamba team Thursday night, ending a six-game winning streak that featured a pair of ranked victories with a 75-65 win over the Indians.

It was ICC's fewest points scored in a game this season.

"A long time ago, a coach told me that when a team plays a lot of defense — they're hiding something," head coach Chris Oney said. "They try to keep you off balance and change things a lot. We felt like we had some advantages when they played man-to-man. Guys like Joah (Chappelle), Kedrick (Osby) and Krystian (Lewis) are dangerous in those situations. We just had to be ready for the 1-3-1 they play, and we did a really good job of that tonight."

"Everybody on this campus just raves about this group of guys. We have some really good people on this team. They take pride in us trying to make it back to the top. They have really bought into the Wildcat way."

FIRST HALF
It started to look like things might get away from Pearl River (14-3 overall; 3-0 MACCC) early in the game against Itawamba (16-3; 3-1) as eight minutes into the night, the Wildcats trailed 17-9.

Krystian Lewis (Monroe, La.; Wossman) put on a show during a string of plays for the Wildcats that gave them some important momentum. The Louisiana signee drove straight down the court, unleashed a quick spin move and laid the ball softly off the glass for a basket. On the defensive side of the court, the guard showed off his athleticism by leaping high into the air and plucking an inbound pass away for a steal. He drove down the court alone and was fouled on the layup attempt. He stepped to the charity stripe and made both attempts count, 17-13 ICC. A few possessions later, Lewis drained a 3-pointer to cut PRCC's deficit to three points at 19-16.

Pearl River didn't take its first lead of the night until there was 4:41 remaining on the clock, and who else but Lewis to make it happen, stealing it away and going coast-to-coast for a layup, 23-22.

The Indians retook a 25-23 lead, but PRCC embarked on a 10-0 run to end the opening frame. Mason Lewis (Stockbridge, Ga.; Woodland) tied things back up for PRCC with a short jumper. Kedrick Osby (Moss Point) added three quick points, Jamarion Smith (Magnolia; South Pike) hit two free throws, and Joah Chappelle (Atlanta, Ga.; Dutchtown) sunk a layup to send PRCC into the break ahead 33-25.

SECOND HALF
PRCC's run to end the first half carried over into the second half, growing to 17-0. Osby had the luck on his side with his 3-point shot as the ball rolled around the rim, kicked off the backboard and fell through the hoop. Dylan Sanders (Aurora, Colo.) hit a pair of free throws and Chappelle went coast-to-coast for a layup — weaving his way through traffic in the process — to make the score 40-25.

Pearl River continued to maintain control, and by the time the clock ticked under 10 minutes, the Wildcats were in front 50-36.

Itawamba did its best to try and get back into the game, but every basket was met by one from PRCC — whether they were intentional or not. Osby converted a layup that added to his luck from earlier in the night. As he was getting mauled underneath the basket, the forward heaved the ball up into the air and it managed to fall through the basket for a score. He stepped to the free-throw line and popped his attempt to complete the 3-point play, 54-39.

ICC hit a few big shots down the stretch, but it wasn't enough to overcome the large deficit as Pearl River took the contest 75-65.

BY THE NUMBERS
Chappelle finished with a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double. It was his fourth double-double of the year and sixth 20-point game of the year.

Smith played his best game of the season for the Wildcats, finishing with 14 points and 11 boards. Both totals are career highs.

"We recruited Jam out of high school, and he chose another college," Oney said. "When he became available, I was back and forth about it. When he called me, he was like a brand new person. He was humble, and he really wanted to be a Wildcat. He's taken everything I've dished at him, and he's always got a smile on his face. I told him recently we were going to let him do more on offense, and he's done it. I'm happy for him because of the work he's put in."

Krystian Lewis finished the night with 14 points, six rebounds and three assists. Osby rounded out those in double figures with 12 points.

NEXT UP
The Wildcats head to Utica on Saturday for a 5 p.m. game against Hinds. It will be livestreamed at HindsCCSports.net.

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