Pearl River men make statement against Northeast

POPLARVILLE, Miss. — If the Pearl River men's basketball team was looking to make a statement following Saturday's loss to Itawamba, consider the statement made.

The Wildcats placed four players in double figures and rolled to a 21-point, 88-67 victory over Northeast on Monday night. The win snapped PRCC's two-game skid and halted a three-game losing streak to the Tigers.

"Everyone wants to switch to tricky zones, and that's just not me — I want to really guard," head coach Chris Oney said. "I think the team that shoots the ball closest to the rim has the best chance to win. I think that's what we got back to tonight."

Basketball is often a game of runs — but those runs are usually collective. That wasn't the case early on. After Kamarian Mayfield (Waynesboro; Quitman) opened the scoring, Lazarus Mason (Atlanta, Ga.; Grayson) caught fire, scoring 11 consecutive points — nine coming from beyond the arc. Then Daijon Leatherman (Slidell, La.; Legacy School of Sports and Sciences) took over, adding 11 straight of his own to push Pearl River (11-9 overall; 3-2 MACCC) out to a 24-11 advantage.

The Wildcats continued to apply pressure, stretching the lead to 16 at 34-18. Christian Gilliland (Memphis, Tenn.; ABC Prep) provided the highlight of the surge. Mason picked a Tiger defender clean and led Gilliland in transition, where the Siena signee soared into the lane and switched hands midair for a smooth finish.

Mason buried another contested 3-pointer with just under seven minutes remaining in the half to give him 16 first-half points. PRCC then went to work on the offensive glass, with Gilliland and Jayden Sampson (Cleveland; Cleveland Central) recording putback buckets on back-to-back possessions to make it 47-25. By halftime, the Wildcats held a commanding 52-31 lead.

Northeast opened the second half with an 8-0 run to trim the margin to 13, but Gilliland quickly halted the momentum with a 3-pointer. The Tigers cut the deficit to 11 at 56-45 before Mayfield answered from deep and followed with a perfectly timed assist to Leatherman for a powerful two-handed slam, restoring a 16-point cushion.

Pearl River brought the crowd to its feet midway through the half with emphatic finishes. Gilliland attacked the baseline and split two defenders for a dunk before Mayfield delivered a ferocious tomahawk slam on the ensuing possession to make it 67-50.

Gilliland continued to extend the lead down the stretch, while Mason capped his night by banking home his fifth 3-pointer. The Wildcats closed out the convincing 88-67 victory.

LEADING THE WAY

Gilliland led all scorers with 22 points, four assists and three rebounds. Leatherman finished just shy of a double-double with 19 points and nine rebounds.

Mason posted a season-high 19 points to go along with four rebounds and four assists, while Mayfield rounded out the double-figure scorers with 13 points.

"I'm really proud of Laz," Oney said. "I've been tough on him because I know what he's capable of. He looked confident tonight. He's been working hard and preparing."

NEXT UP

The Wildcats hit the road Thursday for a 7:30 p.m. showdown at Northwest. The game will be livestreamed at NWCCRangers.com/watch.