POPLARVILLE, Miss. — Pearl River men's basketball fell 63-59 on the road Monday night to Southwest.
Pearl River (15-12 overall; 7-5 MACCC) started the game slowly, getting behind 7-0 to Southwest (14-14; 8-4) before Kamarian Mayfield (Waynesboro; Quitman) sparked the Wildcat offense. Mayfield scored on consecutive possessions to cut the deficit to 7-4, and Christian Gilliland (Memphis; ABC Prep) added a free throw to keep the momentum going. Kelan Rich (Pascagoula) then finished a fastbreak layup to pull the Wildcats within two at 9-7.
The remainder of the first half unfolded as a physical, back-and-forth battle. The teams traded baskets with neither side able to create much separation. Gilliland eventually gave Pearl River its first lead of the night at 23-21, and Jayden Sampson (Cleveland; Cleveland Central) followed with a fastbreak dunk to extend the advantage before Gilliland capped the half with a late layup, sending the Wildcats into the locker room with a 27-23 edge.
Coming out of halftime, Mayfield and Gilliland once again set the tone offensively, helping Pearl River build a 34-31 lead. Daijon Leatherman (Slidell, La.; Legacy School of Sports and Sciences) and Sampson added timely buckets, with Southwest answering in between, to stretch the advantage to 38-33.
The Bears responded with a push of their own, trimming the margin to 46-44. Gilliland countered with a layup to push the lead back to four, and later Lazarus Mason (Atlanta; Grayson) knocked down a three-pointer to give Pearl River a 53-47 advantage, its largest of the game.
Neither team was able to pull away down the stretch as the intensity continued to rise. Leatherman's basket put the Wildcats ahead 55-51, but Southwest answered with a 6-0 run to reclaim the lead with just over a minute remaining.
Gilliland came through again, burying a fadeaway jumper to tie the game at 59-59. Southwest, however, converted two late baskets, leaving the Wildcats with four seconds remaining, but Pearl River was unable to respond, falling 63-59 in a hard-fought contest.
NEXT UP
Pearl River heads back to Poplarville for its final home game Thursday, taking on Hinds at 7:30 p.m.
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.
For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on X (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).