POPLARVILLE, Miss. — For the first time this season, the Pearl River men's basketball team was tested — and the Wildcats passed.

Although Chattahoochee Valley went into the break with the lead, the Wildcats held the Pirates to just 13 points and 3-for-25 shooting in the second half to earn a 17-point, 66-49 victory in the All-State Invitational sponsored by the Pigott Agency.

"They (Chattahoochee Valley) made us stagnant in the first half," head coach Chris Oney said. "We couldn't get the ball inside, and our shooters weren't making the shots they normally do, so it made things tough.

"That's the first time we've been down like that this year. We had to fight back possession after possession. I was pleased with the way we showed some fight. 

A 10-2 run was how Pearl River (4-0 overall) started the day against Chattahoochee Valley (0-3). Christian Gilliland (Memphis, Tenn.; ABC Prep) opened the afternoon with a 3-pointer before Kelan Rich (Pascagoula) plucked a ball away and lobbed it down court for a Lazarus Mason (Atlanta, Ga.; Grayson) layup, 5-0. PRCC's next baskets were courtesy of a Gilliland corner 3-pointer and a Rich layup, 10-2.

The Pirates caught fire afterwards, embarking on an incredible 17-0 run to flip the script of the game and take a nine-point, 19-10 advantage over the Wildcats. PRCC finally broke the run with a Rich 3-pointer from the corner, 19-13. CVCC went up by as many as 14 in the first half at 32-18.

Pearl River slowly but surely started to claw away at the deficit. Gilliand knocked down layups on back-to-back possessions, 32-22. Again, CVCC built on its advantage, taking a 36-24 lead. The Wildcats rattled off eight consecutive points to end the half. Daijon Leatherman (Slidell, La.; Legacy School of Sport and Science) scored through a foul and hit the ensuing free throw. Rich struck on a long ball, and Reece Garrison (Olive Branch) scored off a dish from Rich, 36-32.

It wasn't until the 14-minute mark in the second half that the Wildcats took the lead for good, doing so on a Gilliland floater, 41-40. PRCC scored seven straight points to move ahead 49-42. Leatherman and Mason went back-to-back for easy layups, and Rich dished a no-look pass down low to Leatherman for another bucket during the stretch.

Ahead 50-43, the Wildcats went on another sizeable run — this time 8-0. The highlight of the run was the connection between Gilliland and Mason. First, Gilliland hit a corner 3-pointer off a Mason assist. Two possessions later, it was the reverse as Mason nailed a shot from beyond the arc, 58-43. 

Pearl River went on to score eight more points on the night in comparison to Chattahoochee Valley's six to complete the come-from-behind effort, 66-49.

LEADING THE WAY
Gilliland finished with his fourth straight game of 20 or more points, scoring 24 on 8-for-17 shooting. He also added three rebounds and three assists.

Leatherman increased his streak of double-doubles to begin the season, finishing with 19 points and 10 boards. He also swatted away a shot. 

"I was struggling in the first half," Leatherman said. "After the half, I was more composed. I knew I had to have a better showing."

Rich rounded out those in double figures, ending the day with 11 points, five rebounds and five assists.

NEXT UP
Pearl River returns to action Monday at 6 p.m. as the Louisiana Knights come 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.

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).