GOODMAN, Miss. — Pearl River men's basketball dropped its first MACCC showdown of the year Thursday night, falling against Holmes 74-66.
"We talked about limiting turnovers, baskets in transition, and offensive rebounds, and if we could do that, we felt good about our chances," head coach Chris Oney said. "But we gave up offensive rebounds and turned the ball over, which led to easy baskets in transition. We still had a chance to win the game, but our defense let us down. We left shooters wide open, and you can't make those kinds of mistakes on the road in a tough game like that."
Pearl River (11-8 Overall; 3-1 MACCC) jumped out to an early 4-0 lead as Christian Gilliland (Memphis, Tenn.; ABC Prep) and Lazarus Mason (Atlanta, Ga.; Grayson) opened the scoring with layups. Kamarian Mayfield (Waynesboro; Quitman) followed with an and-one to extend the advantage, but Holmes (14-3; 3-1) answered quickly to keep the Wildcats in front 7-4.
Mayfield added another layup before the Bulldogs settled in, using a brief scoring surge to take a 14-12 lead. Pearl River responded almost immediately when Kelan Rich (Pascagoula) buried a corner 3-pointer off an inbound play to regain a 15-14 edge.
The lead would change hands several times over the next stretch. Each Holmes basket was met with a Pearl River response, capped by another Mayfield and-one that put the Wildcats back in front. After Holmes tied the game once more, Mayfield knocked down a 3-pointer, Reese Garrison added a layup, and Rich caught fire, scoring five straight points to push Pearl River ahead 36-29.
Holmes closed the half with two baskets to trim the deficit, sending the Wildcats into the locker room with a 39-36 lead.
Mayfield opened the second half with a layup, but Holmes continued to apply pressure. With Pearl River leading 41-38, Daijon Leatherman (Slidell, La.; Legacy School of Sports and Sciences) added a basket before the Bulldogs went on an 8-2 run. Rich halted the momentum with another timely 3-pointer, but Holmes answered with a 12-4 run to take a 58-52 lead.
Once again, Rich connected from beyond the arc to stop the run, and Pearl River followed with another basket to pull within one at 58-57. Holmes answered to rebuild a three-point cushion, but Gilliland knocked down two free throws, and the Wildcats converted a fast-break layup off a Bulldog turnover to stay within striking distance.
In the final minutes, Holmes came up with two momentum-shifting 3-pointers to seal the outcome, as Pearl River fell 74-66.
LEADING THE WAY
Mayfield led the Wildcats in scoring with 19 points and narrowly missed a double-double, finishing with nine rebounds. Rich followed with 15 points and added five assists, while Leatherman contributed eight points and five rebounds.
NEXT UP
Pearl River heads back to Poplarville as the Wildcats take on Itawamba Monday at 7:30 p.m.
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).
