POPLARVILLE, Miss. — Pearl River women's basketball showed up in pink and left in the win column Thursday night against Jones, defeating the Bobcats 67-56.
"We had a great first half, but we talked about it at halftime," head coach Shanae Govan-Williams said. "They want to win just like we want to win. I was proud of our overall calmness. Throughout their run, we stayed together and were able to pull it off."
The Wildcats remain tied atop the conference with rival Gulf Coast, sitting at 10-1 with three games left to play.
The night started with Pearl River (17-5 overall; 10-1 MACCC) honoring former Wildcats, bringing them on the court for special pregame recognition. After their welcome back, it was all business for the Wildcats.
Jahanna Wilson (Jackson; Callaway) set the tone early, hitting a 3-pointer on the opening possession. The Bobcats (18-7; 7-5) quickly took a 9-7 lead over Pearl River before scoring two quick buckets, one of which was a 3-pointer from Madison Hughes (Olive Branch; Center Hill).
From that point, Jae'la Smith (Vicksburg; Porter's Chapel) took over for Pearl River, scoring six straight points, initiating a 13-2 Wildcat run to send the game into the second quarter.
In the second quarter, Pearl River continued its excellent play, extending the run by scoring the first three baskets. Wilson scored first, followed by a Mattison Bell (Philadelphia; Choctaw Central) 3-pointer, and then a beautiful fade-away shot by Smith. The sequence extended the run to 20-2 and pushed the Pearl River lead to 27-11.
The Bobcats slowly start clawing back, matching Pearl River for every basket until Bell started another 7-0 run for Pearl River, sending the game into halftime with the Wildcats on a 37-10 run and leading 44-19.
After halftime, Jones scored the first basket before Pearl River pushed the lead to 51-21, its largest of the night. From there, the cruise control was set, and Pearl River coasted to a 67-56 victory over the Bobcats.
LEADING THE WAY
Wilson led the Wildcats in scoring tonight, shooting 50-percent from the field and scoring 16 points. She also managed four steals, five assists and two rebounds.
The Wildcats had two more double-digit scorers in Cy'Nara Robinson (McGehee, Ark.) and Smith. Robinson was one point shy of Wilson, scoring 15 with four rebounds and two assists. Smith was next, putting up 10 points while tying for the team lead in rebounds with six. Bell also had an impressive performance, scoring eight points, all of which came in a first-half surge.
NEXT UP
The Wildcats head to Summit to take on the Bears from Southwest Monday at 5:30 p.m. The game will be livestreamed at Go.SMCCBears.TV.
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