POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The Pearl River men's basketball team dropped its first game of the season Saturday afternoon against a talented Calhoun squad, falling 65-60.

"We're missing that one extra scorer and one extra ball-handler," head coach Chris Oney said. "Hopefully, we can get those guys back quick and get them into the fold."

Pearl River (2-1 overall) was in a battle right from the start against Calhoun (2-0), as the teams were just a few points apart throughout the night. The Wildcats took a four-point lead three minutes into the night, 10-6. Kedrick Osby (Moss Point) snatched an offensive rebound and put it back up, then knocked down two free throws to get it done.

After the Warhawks went ahead 12-11, PRCC used a quick run to move ahead 18-12 as Dylan Sanders (Aurora, Colo.) dished a pass down the court for an Osby layup. Cooper Kennedy (Laurel; West Jones) made the score 25-20 for the Wildcats with 5:01 remaining in the first half, catching a pass at the top of the arc and drilling his 3-pointer.

When the first half finally came to an end, Pearl River was clinging to a 29-25 lead.

Pearl River saw its lead dwindle in the second half. Despite opening up a 37-31 lead to begin things, Calhoun fought back to cut its deficit to two points at 38-36.

Sanders gave Pearl River an immediate shot of momentum by draining a 3-pointer off an assist by Kennedy. Lewis followed by spinning his way inside the lane and laying a ball off the glass for a basket, 44-38 PRCC. Pearl River maintained its advantage all the way down to the final 6.5 minutes before two free throws put the Warhawks in front 47-46.

The lead change was all Calhoun needed to take care of things as the Warhawks went on to win 65-60.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Osby led PRCC's offensive output, tallying 22 points. He finished 6-for-11 from the field and a perfect 10-for-10 at the free-throw line. He also had seven rebounds. Lewis was second with 19 points. He added in six assists, five rebounds and three steals.

NEXT UP
The Wildcats return to the court Monday for a 6 p.m. non-conference matchup with Holmes.

TICKETS
Basketball season tickets are available now for $86, granting access to all home regular-season games. Single-game tickets are $8 in advance and $10 on the day of the game. Tickets can be purchased at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets.

TUNE IN
All home Pearl River basketball games are livestreamed for free at PRCCMedia.com/Gold. Fans who have 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).