POPLARVILLE, Miss. — Pearl River men's basketball travelled to Senatobia and walked away with a 94-82 victory over Northwest.
"They play an unusual style of play that we've really never seen in this league before," said head coach Chris Oney."We had to come up with a different game plan to make sure that we were able to attack the areas we felt we had advantages in. Tonight was the first time I felt good from start to finish in the way our guys were executing the game plan."
Pearl River (13-9 overall, 5-2 MACCC) opened the game with a 12–9 lead over Northwest (12-8, 1-4)before Jayden Sampson (Cleveland; Cleveland Central) scored four straight points on back-to-back layups to push the advantage to 18–12.
The two teams traded baskets through the remainder of the first half until a Daijon Leatherman (Slidell, La.; Legacy School of Sports and Sciences) layup, followed by two free throws from Kelan Rich(Pascagoula), gave the Wildcats a 31–26 edge. Offense remained steady on both sides as the score tightened to 38–36.
Kamarian Mayfield (Waynedboro; Quitman) and Reece Garrison (Olive Branch) then connected on consecutive baskets before a Northwest score closed the half, sending Pearl River into the break with a 42–38 lead.
The second half belonged to the Wildcats, who opened on a dominant 20–8 run. Mayfield led the charge with six points, while Garrison, Leatherman, and Christian Gilliland (Memphis; ABC Prep) all contributed as Pearl River extended its lead to 70–56.
From there, both teams continued to score, but the Wildcats maintained control. Leatherman finished a layup to stretch the lead to 15 at 79–64, effectively sealing the game.
Mayfield, Garrison, and Leatherman continued to pace the offense down the stretch as Pearl River closed out a 94–82 victory.
LEADING THE WAY
Four Wildcats scored in double-digits with Mayfield leading the way with 22 points. He also added eight rebounds and two assists to his efforts. Behind him was Christian Gilliland, who scored 21 points with two rebounds.
Leatherman followed up one of his best career games by scoring 18 points with nine rebounds to add to his already impressive week. The last Wildcat to put up double-digits was Garrison, who scored 15 while bringing in six rebounds.
NEXT UP
The Wildcats come back home looking to continue MACCC play Monday at 7:30 against Copiah-Lincoln.
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).
