POPLARVILLE, Miss. — Rivalries tend to bring out the best in teams — and the Pearl River women's basketball team delivered its best again Wednesday night.
The Wildcats (22-5 overall) took down rival and 4-seed Gulf Coast (18-7) 63-53 in the Region 23 Semifinals, advancing to the Region 23 title game and moving first-year head coach Shanae Govan-Williams within one win of the program's first Region 23 Championship since 2003. It was PRCC's second victory over the Bulldogs this season after knocking them off March 2 to win the MACCC title.
"We know that defense is going to lead to easier offense, and that's what happened tonight," head coach Shanae Govan-Williams said. "We've been working on having the two-on-one or the three-on-two advantage for the last couple of days. Tonight, we did that and finished well. I am extremely proud of our effort; it was just a phenomenal job by everyone tonight."
With the win, the Wildcats now shift their focus to 3-seed Northwest, as they look to avenge their lone conference loss of the season. The championship game will be played Friday at 6 p.m. inside Marvin R. White Coliseum.
Jae'la Smith (Vicksburg; Porter's Chapel) put Pearl River on the board first, grabbing an offensive rebound and scoring on a quick putback. After Jahanna Wilson (Jackson; Callaway) knocked down a jump shot, Mattison Bell (Philadelphia; Choctaw Central) drilled a corner three to give the Wildcats an early 7-3 advantage.
Gulf Coast trimmed the deficit to one, 10-9, with under a minute remaining in the first quarter. Madison Hughes (Olive Branch; Center Hill) answered with a driving layup to close the period and send Pearl River into the break with a 12-9 lead.
Early in the second quarter, Gulf Coast briefly took its first lead since the opening basket after converting two shots. Hughes quickly responded by knocking down a key 3-pointer to put the Wildcats back in front.
Wilson then drove through traffic for a layup to tie the game at 17-17, before Smith connected from beyond the arc to spark a Wildcat run. Pearl River carried that momentum into halftime with a 30-23 lead.
Smith once again opened the scoring in the second half, first converting a free throw before knocking down another 3-pointer to extend the Wildcats' lead to 34-21. After a pair of free throws pushed the advantage further, Smith buried another triple to make it 39-27.
Gulf Coast responded with several baskets, but Cy'Nara Robinson (McGehee, Ark.) helped steady Pearl River with back-to-back layups.
Hughes caught fire late in the third quarter, draining two 3-pointers that pushed the Wildcats' lead to 15 at 49-34 heading into the final period.
In the fourth quarter, Chauncey Dixon (Leroy, Ala.; McIntosh) scored to give Pearl River its largest lead of the game at 17 points. Holding a 55-38 advantage, the Wildcats closed out the contest at the free-throw line to secure the 63-53 victory and punch their ticket to the championship game.
LEADING THE WAY
Smith led the Wildcats, scoring 21 points and going 4-of-6 from behind the arc. She also managed four rebounds, two assists and three steals. Behind her was Hughes, who scored three times from 3-point range on her way to 15 points.
Wilson also had an outstanding night, scoring 10 points while tallying four rebounds, five assists and two steals. Robinson, who scored seven points, put together a complete game, having 12 rebounds, three assists and four steals.
TICKETS
Tickets are available at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets. Tickets purchased in advance are $9, while tickets purchased on game day are $11.
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).
