Friday, February 19, 2010

Division-champ Wildcats enter MACJC State Tournament Monday as South’s top seed
Pearl River puts its 14-game winning streak up against North No. 4 Holmes Monday at North champ East Mississippi ini Scooba

    POPLARVILLE — Pearl River’s Wildcats enter next week’s MACJC State Tournament in Currie Coliseum at East Mississippi CC in Scooba as the South Division’s No. 1 seed, opening tourney play against North No. 4 seed Holmes Monday at 2 p.m.
    PRCC, 20-4 overall, boasts an impressive 14-game winning streak heading into the annual event.
    Nineteenth-year Wildcat head coach Richard Mathis, who has won four previous state titles at The River (1995, 1998, 2003, 2004), says his squad has momentum going in.
    “We’ve played pretty well since the Christmas break,” he said, noting the Wildcats haven’t lost since recording back-to-back defeats to Jones County (86-83) and Hinds (85-81 in overtime) Dec. 3 and Dec. 7, respectively. “We’ve seemed to come together as a team. We’re playing well at the right time. It’s time to roll the dice.”
    The tournament will see all men’s first-round games played Monday, while the women’s first-round is set for Tuesday.
    Men’s action tips off at 12 noon Monday with North No. 2 Itawamba facing South No. 3 Hinds, while South No. 2 Jones takes on North No. 3 Northeast Mississippi at 5:30 p.m. following the 2 p.m. PRCC-HCC match up. Monday’s nightcap game sees host North No. 1 East Mississippi, ranked No. 8 nationally, taking on South No. 4 Mississippi Gulf Coast at 7:30 p.m.
    The PRCC-Holmes winner faces the ICC-Hinds winner in Wednesday’s second round at 2 p.m., while the EMCC-MGCCC winner takes on the JCJC-NEMCC winner at 7:30 p.m. The men’s championship game is set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
    On the women’s side, South No. 2 Jones County faces North No. 3 Mississippi Delta to kick off Tuesday’s action at 12 noon; while North No. 1 Northwest Mississippi takes on South No. 4 East Central at 2 p.m. At 5:30 p.m., North No. 2 Itawamba faces South No. 3 Southwest Mississippi, while undefeated (23-0) South No. 1 Copiah-Lincoln, ranked No. 3 nationally, takes on North No. 4 East Mississippi at 7:30 p.m. in the nightcap game.
    The JCJC-MDCC winner faces the NWMCC-ECCC winner at 12 noon on Wednesday, while the ICC-SMCC winner takes on the CLCC-EMCC winner at 5:30 p.m. The women’s championship game is set for 5:30 p.m. Thursday.