Friday, February 24, 2006
Wildcats clinch division crown with OT victory over Warriors
PRCC’s men grab South’s top seed in MACJC Tournament behind Robinson’s 42-point effort; Lady ’Cats end season with 76-52 setback

    DECATUR — Pearl River’s Wildcats surprisingly clinched the MACJC South Division crown and a No. 1 seed in next week’s state tournament with a resounding 102-96 overtime victory over East Central here Thursday.
    PRCC grabbed the division title after previously-No. 1 Copiah-Lincoln was pounded by Jones 80-69 in Wesson and Southwest Mississippi picked up its only division win of the season with an 80-76 decision over Hinds in Utica in a tie-breaker scenario.
    “I didn’t see how we would be able to do it (win division) after losing to Co-Lin Monday (81-78 in Poplarville), but things fell our way with Co-Lin’s and Hinds’ losses,” said PRCC head coach Richard Mathis. “But that’s a primary goal you set when you start the season and it’s always good to win it.”
    Colorado State signee Alton Robinson of Hattiesburg High pumped in a career-high 42 points in the regular-season finale.
    “Alton put us on his back and carried us through that one,” Mathis said.
The Wildcats improved to 16-9 and 10-4 and will open state tournament play Monday against North No. 4 seed Coahoma at 3 p.m.
    Co-Lin finished second in the division, while Mississippi Gulf Coast and East Central finished third and fourth, respectively, to make up the South’s state tournament line up.
    The Lady Wildcats wrapped up their season with a 76-52 loss to the tournament-bound Lady Warriors, finishing the year at 5-20 overall and 4-10 in the division.
    In the men’s game, Pearl River led 43-38 at the intermission and held an 86-82 lead in the final seconds of regulation. But the Warriors picked up a foul and sank a free throw and a trey at the buzzer to tie it up at 86-86 and send things into overtime.
PRCC outscored ECCC 16-10 in the OT period.
    Jeremy Holder of Lumberton High sank a huge three pointer in overtime, while Mathis touted Patton Stanley of Wayne Academy as “the difference” in the game.
    “Patton ran our plays, dished off to open people, and handled the ball extremely well against their press,” Mathis said. “He was the difference in our winning it...particularly during the overtime period.”
    Besides Robinson’s scoring effort, which included four treys, Wesley Jones of Beatrice, Ala., scored 29 points and hauled in a game-high 13 boards; while Holder had 13, Jamar Flowers of White Castle, La., eight; Marquez Singleton of Bay High four, and Darius Acker of St. Stanislaus, Stanley (six rebounds), and Chasen Uptain of Poplarville, two each.
    Sam Walton paced East Central with 20 points, while Johnny Hodge added 17, Earnesto Green 11, Brian Johnson 10, Ricardo Alcantar and Paul Milligan, nine each; Pierre Barlow eight, Andre Coleman seven, Jacquas Jones three, and Coshune Bingham two.
    Pearl River was 39 of 50 (78 percent) at the foul line, while ECCC was 18 of 30 (60 percent).
    In the women’s game, East Central led 41-26 at the intermission, then outscored the Lady Wildcats 35-26 in the second half to take the 24-point victory.
    LaTerrica Booth of Bassfield led PRCC with a game-high 16 points (six rebounds), while Angela Miller of Penbroke, Ga., and Dee Robertson of North Forrest (eight rebounds) added eight each. Brittany Blackston of Hattiesburg High scored seven, Ziena Husband of Petal and Shannon Primos of Forrest County AHS, four each; Ashley Jones of Florence and Tanesha Stokes of East Marion, two each; and Calla Daggins of Mereaux, La., one.
    LaSaundra Harrison led the Lady Warriors with 14, followed by Andrea Dubose with 11, Jessica Anderson 10, Emily Massey eight, Shannon Lloyd seven, Valerie Harris and Sara Judice, six each; Amanda Schmidt four, Constance Hayes and Tamika Triplett, three each; and Elyse Clay and Dominetrix Hunter, two each.
    Pearl River was 17 of 23 (74 percent) at the foul line, while East Central was 23 of 32 (72 percent).
    A Wildcat victory over Coahoma Monday in the state tournament would shove PRCC into the men’s semi-finals Wednesday at 3 p.m. against Monday’s winner of the Holmes (North No. 2) and Mississippi Gulf Coast (South No. 3) game. The men’s championship game is set for 8 p.m. Thursday.