Pearl River's last-second shot falls short at Meridian

MERIDIAN, Miss. (THN NEWS) — The Pearl River men's basketball team couldn't fend off a second-half surge at Meridian Monday night, falling to the Eagles 70-69.

Pearl River (14-11 overall; 6-4 MACCC) controlled the tempo early but couldn't hold off a late surge from Meridian (10-17; 2-9), falling in a hard-fought contest after leading most of the night. The Wildcats opened the game on a 6-0 run, setting the tone from the opening tip. Austin Fortune (Atlanta, Ga.; Dutchtown) scored first with a finish in the paint, and Daijon Leatherman (Slidell, La.; Legacy School of Sports and Sciences) followed by ripping down an offensive rebound and converting. Reece Garrison (Olive Branch) capped the run with a strong drive to the basket.

Pearl River soon pushed the advantage to double figures at 14-4. Christian Gilliland (Memphis, Tenn.; ABC Prep) knocked down a pair of free throws and added a layup to fuel the surge. The Wildcats again stretched the margin to 10 later in the half as Gilliland drew contact, connected on a floater, and completed the three-point play. The Siena signee added another basket moments later to make it 21-11.

The Wildcats built their largest lead of the first half at 14 points, 34-20. Gilliland scored on a second-chance opportunity, while Leatherman finished through contact and completed an and-one. The 6-foot-9 freshman added another bucket before Kelan Rich (Pascagoula) jumped a passing lane and went coast-to-coast for a layup. Gilliland drilled a 3-pointer just before the buzzer, sending Pearl River into the break with a 37-24 advantage.

Pearl River matched Meridian's energy to start the second half, leaning on Gilliland's scoring touch to stay in front. The freshman poured in seven points to keep the Wildcats ahead by double digits at 51-37. Meridian, however, began chipping away at the deficit, eventually erasing the lead and taking a 55-54 advantage with 7:32 remaining.

The Wildcats briefly regained the lead twice down the stretch and tied the game at 60-60 on a pair of clutch free throws from Garrison. Trailing 70-69 with 11 seconds left, Pearl River had a final chance. Gilliland pushed the ball up the floor, attacked the lane, and lofted a floater that rolled around the rim before falling out.

NEXT UP

Pearl River hosts rival Jones College Thursday night for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.

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.