POPLARVILLE, Miss. – The Pearl River women’s basketball team used a smothering defense and a strong inside game offensively to overwhelm Holmes in a 79-35 win Monday inside Marvin R. White Coliseum. 

Brandy Scott (Hammond, La.) provided a spark off the bench scoring 14 points for her second straight game in double digits. 

“Before, I really did not have a good mindset. I was all in my head,” Scott said of the change in her mentality. “I had to take a look in the mirror, ‘I am really hurting myself, not helping myself.’ The more I realized that, I have been in a groove, in my mindset, I am ready to play every night.”

FIRST QUARTER

Marcavia Shavers (Biloxi) scored the first four points for the Wildcats (19-1; 9-1 MACCC). After being fouled on her first basket, Shavers missed the and-one and J’Mani Ingram (North Augusta, S.C.) hustled to reel in the rebound and found Shavers in the paint for a layup to give PRCC a 4-0 lead. The Wildcats’ leading scorer Ty’Mesha Reed (Meridian) got in the scoring column with a driving layup to bring the score to 6-1. Next time down the court, Ingram got in the scoring column after inbounding the ball to Shavers, Shavers found Ingram for a mid-range jumper and give PRCC an 8-1 margin. 

After Holmes (12-8; 4-5) cut the margin to 8-6, Reed scored the next four points, followed by a basket by Tierra Simon (Houston, Texas; Heights) to push the Wildcat lead to eight, 14-6. Jaliscia Florence (Tupelo) converted a couple of free throws, and the Wildcats went into the quarter break with a 17-12 lead. 

SECOND QUARTER

Holmes closed the gap to two, 19-17, to open the second quarter. The Wildcat offense and defense started clicking, and PRCC went on a 15-0 run in the last 5:32 seconds of the quarter. Brandy Scott (Hammond, La.) started the run with a layup off a drive. Khyla Ragins (Booneville; Harrison Central) found Simon open behind the arc for an open 3-pointer. After a missed Wildcat basket, Ingram saved the ball from going out of bounds and found Scott under the basket with a no-look pass for an easy two and a 26-17 lead. The Wildcat defense kept the pressure on Holmes as Keshunti Nichols (Pearl) stepped in front of a Holmes inbound pass, and Reed converted on the offensive end. Reed struck again with a 3-pointer to bring the score to 31-17. After a Simon free throw, Reed closed out the scoring for the half with a strong drive and layup in the closing seconds to give the Wildcats a 34-17 halftime lead.

THIRD QUARTER

After a Holmes basket, Halle Traylor (Tupelo) opened up the second half for the Wildcats with a 3-pointer to push the Wildcat lead to 18, 37-19. 

Scott started to impose her will, scoring the Wildcats’ next eight points. Scott blew past two Holmes defenders for a layup, followed by another strong layup. Scott completed the run with a 3-pointer from the top of the arch to give the Wildcats a 46-23 lead. 

Florence answered a Holmes basket with a 3-pointer to push the PRCC lead to 24 points, 49-25. Holmes answered with a basket and an and-one to close the lead to 49-28, but Scott responded with a 3-pointer from the corner to keep the lead at 24 points, 52-28. 

Shavers scored on a putback after a Nichols steal and missed layup. After the Wildcat defensive pressure stopped Holmes from scoring, Florence flew past a Bulldog defender for a layup. Hama’ya Fielder (Philadelphia, Miss; Neshoba Central) nailed a 3-pointer with 32 seconds left in the quarter to give the Wildcats a 10-point run to close the quarter with a 59-28 lead. 

FOURTH QUARTER

The Wildcats continued the run to open the fourth quarter. Reed scored on the Wildcats’ first possession, followed by Florence who scored after Fielder forced a Holmes turnover. Following baskets by Fielder and Reed, Nichols closed out a 19-point Wildcat run with a free throw to give PRCC a 40-point lead, 68-28. 

Holmes answered the PRCC run with five straight points. Simon stopped the Holmes run with a putback basket, and Alexis Arrington (Terry) followed with a 3-pointer from the top of the arc. Arrington scored on the next Wildcat possession after flying past two defenders for a layup. Zi’A Shields (Lawrence; Newton) closed out the scoring for the Wildcats. Arrington, cutting in the lane, found Shields open for a short jumper, and Shields scored again with 34 seconds left as the Wildcats won 79-35.

LEADING THE WAY

 Reed led all scorers with 17 points, adding four rebounds, three assists and one steal. 

“She is finishing extremely well in the paint. Ty’Mesha is a dog in a good way. She is someone I can count on night in and night out,” PRCC coach Scotty Fletcher said of Reed’s performance. “She brings her lunch box to work, she rises to a challenge.”

Scott added 14 points and four rebounds. Simon came off the bench and contributed with a double-double, 10 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks. Shavers added eight points and 12 rebounds.   

NEXT UP

The Wildcats will travel to Ellisville Thursday for the annual “Cat Fight” against Jones. The game will tip off at 6 p.m. and will be livestreamed at jcbobcats.com/watch. 

For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on Twitter (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).