CARRIERE — The Hattiesburg Lady Tigers are notorious for an aggressive, yet effective, press. This season, the tactic has helped the Lady Tigers go 6-0 during the regular season, and led to another win Tuesday night against Pearl River Central, 47-24.

The Lady Devils struggled to maneuver around the active full-court press, surrendering 19 points in the first quarter, 12 from turnovers.

“Coming into the game, we knew they liked to press. We just made some poor decisions on when to and when not to attack,” PRC Head Coach Anthony LaBella said. “We can’t give up that many easy buckets and expect to win.”

Lady Devil Harlee Davis took the offensive wheel, scoring the first six points for PRC, finishing with 12 points overall. However, with a score of 28-8 at halftime, the Lady Devils saw its chance for triumph dwindling.

“They are a very well coached team and are a really, really fast team. You can’t make bad decisions against them and that is what ultimately affected us,” LaBella said.

In the third quarter, the Lady Devils made a push to tighten the contest, going on a 9-2 run when the Lady Tigers took a break from its press, setting up a 2-3 zone. However, Hattiesburg found a rejuvenation of energy and responded with a 10-2 run of its own to head into the final quarter with a 42-19 lead.

Even with only two seniors on the team, PRC is optimistic about the future.

“Seeing the team play hard, no matter if we are winning or losing, is something I really enjoy watching,” Lady Devil senior Kayla Ryan said, who tore her ACL earlier in the regular season. “I hope they keep playing with that energy and enjoy every game like it’s their last.”

The Lady Devils will host Stone for a potential playoff spot on Friday at 4 p.m.