River splits at Delgado

NEW ORLEANS, La. Pearl River Community College rang in the new year with split with Delgado (La.) CC in NJCAA women and men basketball action here Monday. The eighth-ranked Wildcats kept their perfect record intact with an 83-72 victory over the host Dolphins to improve to 11-0, while the Lady Wildcats fell 55-45 and dropped to 3-5 overall. PRCC men defeated DCC 100-83 in a previous meeting Dec. 9 in Poplarville, while its women canned the Lady Dolphins 64-53 the same night. In the men game, Pearl River led 41-36 at the intermission before outscoring Delgado 42-36 in the second half to take the 11-point victory. Troy University signee Emil Jones of North Forrest High paced the Wildcats with a game-high 28 points (seven rebounds), while Phillip Crawford out of Murphy High in Mobile, Ala., added 14 (five rebounds). Kentari Nettles, another Mobile recruit who prepped at LeFlore High, scored 13 (six rebounds), Marshun McGee out of Bailey High in Jackson seven (two treys), Daron Bell of Bay High and Pedro Maciel, a Centenary University transfer who prepped at St. Stanislaus, six each; Calvin Johnson of Ridgeland High four, LaKendrick Maye of Prentiss High three (five rebounds), and LeBaron McMillian of Pascagoula High two. Rashaun Claiborne and Joshua Major led Delgado with 18 points each, while Renard Smith scored 15, Darrell Williams 11, Jauries Thomas six, and Darius Henry four. Pearl River hit 55.6 percent (35 of 63) from the field to Delgado 36.1 percent (22 of 61), while the Wildcats were three of nine (33.3 percent) from three-point range to the Dolphins two-of-19 (10.5 percent) effort. PRCC was 10 of 21 (47.6 percent) at the foul line, while DCC was 26 of 40 (65 percent). In the women game, the Lady Wildcats held on to a solid 31-23 lead at the break, but were outscored 32-14 in the second half by the Lady Dolphins. Kenyatta Epps of Yazoo City High and Branita Malone out of Choctaw High in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., paced The River with eight points each; while Francheska Bowman, another Choctaw High recruit, added seven; Toy Johnson of Pascagoula High five, Alayna Bridges of Oak Grove High, Eugena Fry out of Wingfield High in Jackson, and Nicole Holder of Lumberton High, four a piece; Quentessa Bullock of East Marion High three, and Charlene Green out of South Pike High in Magnolia, two. Myaisha Nixon led Delgado with a game-high 17 points, while Faytra Washington scored 11, Shaquinta James seven, Erne Snowden and Brittany Walker, six each; Ariente Williams five, and Raven Holmes three. Pearl River was six of 13 (46.2 percent) from the foul line, while Delgado was 15 of 21 (71.4 percent). PRCC returns to action Thursday with a road trip to MACJC non-division rival Mississippi Delta in Moorhead with game times at 5 p.m. (women) and 7 p.m. (men), then resumes South Division play Monday, Jan. 10, at Southwest Mississippi in Summit at the same game times.