By CURTIS ROCKWELL
Item Sports Editor
CARRIERE — Picayune swept homestanding and arch-rival Pearl River Central Friday night in a pair of Region 6-5A games.
The Maroon Tide took a 69-51 win, while the Lady Tide grinded out a 41-24 victory.
Both Picayune squads used quick starts to take control of their games early on.
The Lady Tide jumped out to a 12-0 lead and never looked back. Picayune moved to 15-7 overall with the win and 3-3 in league play, and the Lady Tide clinched the number two seed in the division tourney which will take place at Kelly Wise Gym starting in 10 days.
Melody McGill nailed a trio of 3-pointers in the first half, and scored 11 of her game high 13 points in the first two quarters and combined with Andrea Jackson to put Picayune up 33-12 at halftime. Jackson scored all eight of her points in the first half.
Caroline Lumpkin paced PRC with 11 points, while senior Megan Calcote had nine rebounds and four blocked shots. The Lady Devils are 3-19 overall and dropped to 0-5 in league play. They are assured of the fourth seed in the league tourney.
In the boys game, Picayune scored the first nine points of the game and when Vince Gable nailed a 3-pointer the Maroon Tide led 14-4 mid-way through the period. The Blue Devils never cut the deficit back to single digits again.
Jamal Hall and Derronte Magee converted some key baskets as the second quarter unfolded, and combined with Gable’s 10 first half points Picayune took a 35-16 halftime lead and never looked back.
Gable scored a game high 23 to pace Picayune, while Magee added eight. The Tide, who had already wrapped up the number two seed in the league tourney, moved to 11-10 overall and 4-2 in the region.
Ashton Woodson scored 17 to led PRC, while Andrew Rogers had 12 and Jordan Fairconetue 11. The Blue Devils dropped to 5-17 overall and 0-5 in league play, and are assured of the fourth seed in the league tourney.
Picayune hosted Vancleave Saturday night and will be off until Friday when they conclude the regular season on the road at Ocean Springs.
PRC hosts Wayne County on Friday.
PRCC Hoops
POPLARVILLE — Pearl River’s Wildcats are in a three-way tie for first place in the MACJC South Division after bombing Jones County 81-64 in ‘Cat Fight II here Thursday.
PRCC’s men, 14-4 overall, are now deadlocked with Jones and Hinds, which fell to Mississippi Gulf Coast 82-74 Thursday in Perkinston, in the division race with 5-2 marks.
Nineteenth-year Wildcat head coach Richard Mathis was pleased with his team’s effort.
“We played pretty well,” he said. “We played physical and rebounded well, but the exception was our paltry effort at the foul line (17 of 34). We may the worst free throw shooting team in the league.“
The Wildcats, who fell to the Bobcats 86-83 in both teams’ division openers Dec. 3 in Ellisville, never trailed in the game and led by as many as 16 points late in the first half.
The River dominated the boards with 57 rebounds to Jones’ 38, but were victimized by 24 turnovers to the Bobcats’ 10.
Brandon Wilson led the way for JCJC with 17 points, while Combs added 12, Kadeem Fleming 11.
Josh Moore of Jackson (Forest Hill High) paced the Wildcats with 16 points, while Emil Jones of North Forrest pulled off his first double-double of the season with 15 points and a game and career-high 14 rebounds. Kenderek Washington of Hinds AHS scored 12 (eight rebounds), Vickers 10 (nine rebounds), Phillip Crawford of Mobile, Ala., eight.
In women’s action, Pearl River led for the first six minutes of the contest before Brigit Taylor’s bucket knotted things at 9-9, then Erica Moore’s basket off a turnover a minute late snapped the stalemate.
JCJC led 38-29 at the intermission.
Jones County out-rebounded Pearl River 38-29, while the Lady Wildcats were victimized by 24 turnovers to the Lady Bobcats’ 16.
Tanecka Carey paced JCJC with a game-high 28 points (three steals), including six three-pointers; while Dominque Evans added 11.
For The River, Kenyatta Epps of Yazoo City scored 24 (five treys, six rebounds), Charlene Green of South Pike and Brittany Weathers of Oak Grove (five rebounds), eight each.
The Lady Wildcats fell to the Lady Bobcats 69-56 in their earlier meeting in Ellisville.
PRCC eyes back-to-back division road foes starting Monday with a trip to Hinds in Utica, then heads to Mississippi Gulf Coast in Perkinston Thursday. Both dates eye 6 p.m. (women) and 8 p.m. (men) tip offs.
