MOORHEAD, Miss. — The No. 14 Pearl River women's basketball team moved one step closer to a championship Monday night at Mississippi Delta, defeating the Trojans 52-40.
"I was so proud of the girls with their focus and maturity tonight," head coach Scotty Fletcher said. "They handled the atmosphere and environment extremely well. We're still finding ways to get better as a team. This team really cares, and it matters to them."
The Wildcats can clinch a share of the MACCC Championship and hosting rights for the upcoming Region 23 Tournament with a victory against Northeast Thursday night. Tipoff inside Marvin R. White Coliseum is set for 5:30 p.m.
"The most important game on the schedule is the next one," Fletcher said. "We have a lot of respect for Northeast. We know they are very talented. We have to be mature and focused the next two days."
Pearl River (23-2 overall; 12-1 MACCC) began the game against Mississippi Delta (17-5; 7-5) on a 9-0 run to stun the Trojans. The opening basket saw PRCC move the ball extremely well to work Jazmine Jackson (Jacksonville, Fla.; Andrew Jackson) open in the corner. The Alcorn State transfer caught the pass and drilled her 3-pointer.
Pearl River moved ahead by 10 points late in the opening quarter. Peyton Hearvey (Tupelo) drilled a 3-pointer from the left side of the court, and Mikayla Riley (Tupelo) hit a long-range jumper to push the Wildcats in front 14-4. MDCC rattled off four consecutive to end the quarter, 14-8.
The Wildcats opened up a dominant 15-point lead with 5:53 left in the first half. PRCC got to that point with an 11-2 run. Jackson dished a long pass down the court to Riley, who showed her catch-and-shoot ability with a 3-pointer. Payne got wide-open underneath the basket for the next score, and Sydney Lewis (Upper Marlboro, Md.; McLean School) used a great move to force two Trojans into jumping and nailed a layup, 21-8. Riley extended the lead to 25-10 shortly after with two free throws.
Jackson cashed in with another 3-pointer late in the second quarter, working herself open with great movement off the ball. She finally was dished a pass on the right side and drilled her shot attempt, 28-16. MDCC added one last basket before the buzzer sounded, 28-18.
The Wildcats took their largest lead of the night in the third quarter at 17 points. Paris Gilmore (Youngstown, Ohio; Warrensville Heights) had one of the highlights of the frame. The Detroit Mercy transfer had the ball in the corner with a defender at her hip. She used a quick jab step to get the defender to bite and hit nothing but net on her 3-pointer attempt, 39-25. Jackson extended the advantage to the 17-point mark on the next Wildcat possession, cashing in on another shot from beyond the arc, 42-25. PRCC tacked on a few more down the stretch to lead 46-29 at the end of the third.
The Trojans outscored the Wildcats in the final quarter of the night, but it wasn't enough to overcome the deficit. PRCC went on to win 52-40.
LEADING THE WAY
Jackson had a game-high 18 points. It was her 15th double-digit scoring game of the year.
"Jazmine is a steady player and just lives in the gym," Fletcher said. "She cares about this team and wants to win. She's truly a coach's dream."
Payne had a fantastic game in the paint for the Wildcats, finishing with eight points.
"Thailan had her best game as a Wildcat as far as her activity," Fletcher said. "She was great on the glass, scored eight big points and was a presence in the post."
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).