POPLARVILLE, Miss. — It wasn't a perfect game for the Pearl River men's basketball team Monday night, but a 44-point second half was enough to push the Wildcats past the Louisiana Knights, 78-60. 

Christian Gilliland (Memphis, Tenn.; ABC Prep) and Daijon Leatherman (Slidell, La.; Legacy School of Sports and Sciences) combined for 50 points to help the Wildcats move to 5-0. 

"As a fan and as a coach, you want it to click on all cylinders every single night," head coach Chris Oney said. "I think that the mark of a good team is that you can go win an ugly game. They (Louisiana Knights) were organized and slowed the game down. Coach (Landon) Lewis and Coach (TyReece) Berry did a good job of making some changes that helped us pull away." 

FIRST HALF  
Pearl River (5-0 overall) opened the game strong, jumping out to a 4-0 lead on a pair of layups from Gilliland. The Knights answered with a bucket of their own before Kamarian Mayfield (Waynesboro; Quitman) knocked down two free throws, and Leatherman added one more, giving the Wildcats a 7-2 advantage. 

After the hot start, the Knights responded with a run, swinging momentum, and taking a 20-11 lead. That's when Austin Fortune (Atlanta, Ga.; Dutchtown) reignited the Wildcat offense—throwing down a powerful dunk through contact for a three-point play opportunity. Although Fortune missed the and-one free throw, Reece Garrison (Olive Branch) grabbed the offensive rebound and put it back in, trimming the deficit to 20-15.  

The Wildcats then forced a turnover, and Garrison capitalized again, sinking two free throws. Moments later, Gilliland hit a pull-up jumper from the free throw line, though the Knights answered with a layup on the other end. Pearl River was quick to respond, as Gilliland buried a 3-pointer off a Lazarus Mason (Atlanta, Ga.; Grayson) assist to tie the game at 22-22. 

The teams traded baskets, tying twice more, before Mayfield connected from beyond the arc to give Pearl River its first lead since 7-5. The Wildcats closed the half strong, with Gilliland draining a jumper and Kelan Rich (Pascagoula) hitting a 3-pointer to send Pearl River into the locker room up 34-30. 

SECOND HALF 
The second half started with the Knights sinking two free throws before Fortune found Leatherman in the paint behind the defenders for an easy layup. Gilliland followed that with a layup of his own, drawing contact on the way up and converting the and-one free throw.  

Pearl River began to build a comfortable lead, but Mason made sure it kept growing, knocking down two 3-pointers within 30 seconds to put the Wildcats ahead 47-34. Louisiana Prep answered with a pair of buckets before Leatherman hit a layup that spun around the rim three times before finally falling through. 

Up 50-38, Gilliland caught a pass from Rich and drained his second 3-pointer of the night, then added a layup two possessions later to make it 55-41.  

Pearl River closed the game strong, as Leatherman hit two free throws, Gilliland buried two more three-pointers — both assisted by Dalton Jackson (Booneville) — and Leatherman finished things off with three straight layups to seal the win, 78-60. 

LEADING THE WAY 

Gilliland led the Wildcats in scoring with 28 points, surpassing his season average of 25. He also contributed eight rebounds, six assists, and one steal while shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc. 

Leatherman recorded his fifth double-double of the season, finishing with 22 points and 11 rebounds. 

Rich added another strong all-around performance, tallying nine points, nine rebounds, two steals, and two assists to round out a balanced effort for Pearl River. 

NEXT UP 
Pearl River returns to action Thursday at 6 p.m. as Gulf Coast comes to Marvin R. White Coliseum. 

TICKETS 
Basketball season tickets are available now for $103, granting access to all home regular-season games. Single-game tickets are $9 in advance and $11 on the day of the game. Tickets can be purchased at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets.