POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The Pearl River men's basketball team battled to the final buzzer against a talented Shelton State squad but came up short, falling 78-71 in its first game back from winter break.
"We've got to clean up those plays that kill our momentum. We've got to figure out how to do a better job with that," head coach Chris Oney said. "The idea was for us to play our way back into shape this week, but that's a really good team.
"I wish we could have been full-go tonight, but we weren't because of some injuries. It was good for some guys to get minutes so we could see more of what we've got before conference play."
Pearl River (7-6 overall) provided the first highlight of the night when Kamarian Mayfield (Waynesboro; Quitman) swatted a shot on the defensive end, leading to a soft-touch floater from Jayden Sampson (Cleveland; Cleveland Central) on the other end for a 4-2 edge.
Shelton State (12-3) and the Wildcats traded buckets early and were tied at 10-10 before the Buccaneers built a seven-point advantage, 21-14. Pearl River answered by trimming the deficit to two when Christian Gilliland (Memphis, Tenn.; ABC Prep) knocked down a floater, 21-19.
Baskets from Mayfield and Daijon Leatherman (Slidell, La.; Legacy School of Sports and Sciences) kept PRCC within one at 24-23, but Shelton State extended its lead and carried a 35-30 advantage into the break.
The contest turned into a back-and-forth affair in the second half, with both teams repeatedly exchanging leads and ties. Gilliland knotted the score at 38-38 with 14:25 remaining, connecting on a fading baseline floater. Shelton State regained the lead before Lazarus Mason (Atlanta, Ga.; Grayson) answered with 8:23 to play, drilling a midrange jumper through contact and completing the and-one to tie the game at 53-53.
Moments later, the Wildcats surged ahead as Gilliland elevated over a defender and coaxed a shot to roll around the rim and fall, 57-56. The teams were tied once more on a Gilliland slam, 59-59, but Shelton State continued to apply pressure and pulled away late to secure the 78-71 victory.
LEADING THE WAY
Gilliland turned in a standout performance, pouring in a season-high 32 points while adding six rebounds. Mayfield continued his strong play, finishing with 17 points, seven rebounds, two steals and a block.
"Sometimes I forget that Kam didn't play last season, and this is probably only his third real game of his career," Oney said. "He shows flashes and will continue to get better."
Reece Garrison (Olive Branch) contributed eight points, two assists and one rebound.
NEXT UP
The Wildcats return to action Thursday with a road matchup at Coastal Alabama-South. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. The game will be livestreamed at JockJive.com.
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