Pearl River turns in complete performance at ASU Mid-South

WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. — The Pearl River women's basketball team put together its most complete performance of the season Saturday afternoon, delivering its best offensive and defensive efforts in a dominant 74-40 win over ASU Mid-South.

The Greyhounds' 40 points were their fewest of the year.

"We've been overly aggressive defensively in previous games — going for steals," head coach Shanae Govan-Williams said. "Today, we talked about being solid and being in the right place at the right time. I think that paid off. Our success started on the defensive end, picking up the intensity to give us easy baskets in transition.

"We put a lot of emphasis on sharing the basketball. We have a deep team with multiple people who can score. We need to be willing to make the extra pass and stay in attack mode."

Pearl River will play its home opener Monday evening, hosting Calhoun at 5:30 p.m.

"We are extremely excited about finally getting to play at home," Govan-Williams said. "I'm so excited and so are the girls. We're going to get a good practice in tomorrow and be ready to go on Monday."

GAME RECAP

Pearl River (3-1 overall) opened the afternoon on an 8-0 run against ASU Mid-South (2-5). Madison Hughes (Olive Branch; Center Hill) scored the Wildcats' first bucket, knocking down a 3-pointer from the wing. Jae'la Smith (Vicksburg; Porter's Chapel) added three points with a free throw and a driving layup, and Cy'Nara Robinson (McGehee, Ark.) grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back.

With a 15-6 lead, the Wildcats strung together a 7-0 spurt. Defense set the tone twice during the sequence. Toniah Watts (Terry) blocked a shot that led to a Mattison Bell (Philadelphia; Choctaw Central) corner 3-pointer. On the next Greyhound possession, Jahanna Wilson (Jackson; Callaway) jumped a passing lane and pushed the ball ahead to Smith for a layup. The run stretched the lead to 22-6, and PRCC closed the quarter ahead 22-11.

The Wildcats cranked up the defensive pressure in the second quarter, holding the Greyhounds to just three points while scoring 16. Midway through the period, Bell again turned defense into offense, intercepting a pass and going coast-to-coast for a layup to make it 33-13. By halftime, PRCC had built a commanding 38-14 advantage.

Jae'la Smith continued her strong afternoon in the third quarter, scoring eight points in the frame. On back-to-back possessions, she converted a layup and then drilled a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired to push the lead to 45-20. Later, she finished through contact for an and-one, extending the margin to 51-25. Layups from Alana Smith (Southaven) and Aaliyah Davison (Gautier; Biloxi) closed the quarter with the Wildcats ahead 55-27.

Pearl River reached its first 30-point lead early in the fourth when Jae'la Smith knocked down a mid-range jumper to make it 57-27. A few possessions later, she completed her second and-one of the day to push the margin to 63-30.

PRCC went up 67-37 late after Davison set a strong screen to free Bell, who curled around, took a pass from Alana Smith and finished at the rim. The Wildcats continued to apply pressure down the stretch and closed out the 74-40 victory.

LEADING THE WAY

Jae'la Smith led all scorers with 22 points on 8-for-14 shooting while adding seven rebounds — six on the offensive glass.

"We've been challenging her to stay in attack mode," Govan-Williams said. "She's tough to guard because she gets downhill so well. She had a lot of offensive boards, which created extra opportunities."

Robinson posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, including seven offensive boards. Bell also reached double figures with 11 points, adding three rebounds and four steals. Davison turned in a strong all-around effort with eight points, four steals and two assists.