WESSON, Miss. — The No. 15 Pearl River women's basketball team jumped out to an early first-quarter lead over Copiah-Lincoln on Monday and never looked back. Eight different Wildcats scored in PRCC's 73-43 victory in the Mullen Gymnasium on Copiah-Lincoln's Wesson campus.
"They have some quality wins this season and are a talented ball club and extremely well coached," PRCC head coach Scotty Fletcher said. "This atmosphere was electric, a playoff vibe. We had to have supreme focus and supreme discipline.
"Anytime you go into these games, you have to control what you can control. That was our effort, our attitude. Being connected and being together as a team, trying to play the best team basketball on both ends of the court. This team is special, and being called their coach is a true honor."
Pearl River (19-2 overall; 8-1 MACCC) got quick baskets from Roge'Ne' Hillard (Hazlehurst; Copiah Academy) and Mattison Bell (Philadelphia, Miss; Choctaw Central) to put Copiah-Lincoln (13-10 overall; 3-5 MACCC) on their heels early in the contest, 6-2. PRCC's leading scorer, Jazmine Jackson (Jacksonville, Fla.; Andrew Jackson), came off the bench and followed suit, hitting a 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a seven-point lead, 9-2, with 6:27 left in the first quarter.
The Wildcats continued to get positive production from their reserves as Natasha Barnes (Chicago, Ill.; Kenwood Academy) and Paris Gilmore (Youngstown, Ohio; Warrensville Heights) hit back-to-back baskets to give the Wildcats a 20-6 lead late in the quarter.
Following her four first-quarter points, Bell showed she can score from long range, too, opening the second quarter with a 3-pointer to push the Wildcat lead to 14. Bell followed with an assist to Jackson, whose 3-pointer extended the lead to 17, 27-10.
A force all season for the Wildcats on the boards, Sydney Lewis (Upper Marlboro, Md.; McLean School) picked up her sixth rebound of the half on a PRCC miss and laid the ball for two to give the Wildcats a 29-10 lead with 6:20 in the half. The Wolves fought back and cut the lead to 14 with a five-point run late in the quarter. Jackson halted the Wolves' momentum with a steal, and Bell found Barnes open on the ensuing Wildcat possession for a 3-pointer, 32-15. Jae'la Smith (Vicksburg; Porters Chapel) closed out the first half with a layup, giving the Wildcats a 17-point lead at the half, 36-19.
"They are a very talented club, offensively. They can score in bunches," Fletcher said. "Tonight, our defensive game plan was to be really good with our patience and limit them to one shot. We did an excellent job controlling the glass. Most importantly, you have to answer their runs. We needed to get live ball turnovers and create deflections to get out into transition. Use our defense to create offensive opportunities. Our girls did a phenomenal job with that tonight."
Bell opened the third quarter like she opened the second. Peyton Hearvey (Tupelo) sent a pass across the key and found Bell open for an uncontested 3-pointer from the elbow, 39-21.
The Wildcat defense kept the pressure on the Wolves offense throughout the game, not allowing them to build momentum. Following a couple of quick baskets by CLCC, Barnes found Jazmine alone in the corner for a 3-pointer, giving the Wildcats a 47-30 lead. Gilmore, on back-to-back scoring possessions, found Lewis for a 15-foot jumper and Barnes for a 3-pointer from the elbow, 52-30. Lewis closed the quarter by picking up her 11th rebound of the game and scoring with a lay-in, giving the Wildcats a 54-31 lead after three quarters.
Pearl River opened the fourth quarter with an eight to two run. The run was highlighted with Bell finding Jackson for another 3-pointer from the right elbow, 64-35. Thailan Payne (Southaven; Desoto Central) followed with an offensive rebound and putback to become the eighth Wildcat to hit the scoring column, 66-35.
Bell, with a game-high seven assists, continued to find open Wildcats, drove the baseline past her defender, and found an open Smith in the lane for an open jumper, 70-35.
"Our ball movement was great tonight. We did an excellent job of making the extra pass," Fletcher said. "It reflects on the stat sheet; we had 17 assists on 28 made baskets. Our player and ball movements gave us really quality shots, which we have been talking about with our offense, having more discipline on the offensive end. Making second and third level reads, to making the extra pass."
The Wildcats defense held firm for the remainder of the fourth quarter, and the Wildcats left Wesson with a 73-43 win.
BY THE NUMBERS
The Lewis and Hillard duo continues to challenge teams in the paint. Lewis picked up her seventh double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Hillard had six points, six rebounds and one block.
"I think the biggest thing that is underrated about Syd (Lewis) and Roge'Ne' (Hillard) is their leadership," Fletcher said. "The second thing is their basketball IQ. When the basketball gets to their level, they do an outstanding job of making a basketball play defensively. They use their bodies and their quickness well."
Bell had 12 points to go with her game-high seven assists.
"Matti Bell led the way with seven assists tonight," Fletcher said. "I thought she was phenomenal with her distribution."
Jackson, 5-for-10 from behind the arc, finished with 17 points and Barnes was equally lethal, going 4-for-7 in 3-point attempts, finishing with 12 points.
NEXT UP
The Wildcats will host East Mississippi on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. inside Marvin R. White Coliseum.
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).