No. 5 Pearl River wins OT thriller at Meridian

MERIDIAN, Miss. — It took an extra five minutes but the No. 5 Pearl River basketball team pulled out an exciting win over Meridian on Monday night, defeating the Eagles in overtime 69-66. The Wildcats (3-0 overall; 3-0 MACCC) extended their winning streak, which dates back to last season, to 31 games.

PRCC head coach Chris Oney was quick to give praise to the opposition.

"I think that's the best team they've had since I've been here," Oney said. "They play hard and they are very well coached. I knew it was going to be a challenge but our guys showed up, played hard, executed and got it done."

NECK AND NECK PRCC got off to a quick start at the beginning of the game, taking an eight point lead at one point but the Eagles (1-2) were able to battle their way back and fight the Wildcats tooth and nail with the score at half being 33-27 in PRCC's favor.

The second half saw a back and forth affair where the Wildcats had to go blow for blow with Meridian. Jariyon Wilkens (Biloxi) once again came up big for PRCC down the stretch, this time hitting two free throws in the waning moments to send the game to OT tied 58-58.

Ankerion Gross (Sardis; North Panola) hit a huge three pointer late in the overtime period to give the Wildcats the lead.

It was in the overtime period where the Wildcats were able to finally pull ahead. MCC attempted one last full-court heave at the buzzer but the shot was wide, sealing PRCC's victory.

LEADING THE WAY

Freshman Cameron Brown (Hattiesburg) came through in a big way for the Wildcats, dropping a career-high and team-leading 22 points. "Cam Brown has been consistent for us since he got here and it paid off tonight," Oney said. "We got into some foul trouble early in the game so he became the focal point of the offense and he stepped up for us."

Jaryion and Jarron Wilkins (Biloxi) had 14 and 11 points respectively.

UP NEXT

The Wildcats will host Co-Lin Thursday night before going back on the road Monday night to take on Hinds. Both games are set for 6 p.m.

ATTENDANCE

Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there will not be general admission at home basketball games. Following guidelines set by the state of Mississippi, PRCC is limiting attendance to only players, coaches, spirit squads, the PRCC pep band, gameday personnel and family members. No Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference or Mississippi High School Activities Association passes will be accepted.

HOW TO TUNE IN Most games will be broadcast at PRCCMedia.com/Gold but in some instances where multiple teams are at home, PRCC will also have a feed on its auxiliary channel at PRCCMedia.com/Maroon. Fans who have Roku or Amazon Fire devices can also watch the Wildcats on their televisions by downloading the "Pearl River CC" channel from their app store.

Home games will also be broadcast on WRJWRadio.com.

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