PRC basketball wins final regular season game

Published 7:00 am Saturday, February 8, 2020

The basketball team for the Pearl River Central Lady Blue Devils took on the Pearl River Lady Rebels Feb. 6 and won 63-46.

It was the final regular season game for the Lady Blue Devils as the team will now prepare for the district tournament.

PRC had a significant size advantage on Pearl River and the Lady Blue Devils were able to use that to wear down the Lady Rebels.

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PRC crashed the boards both offensively and defensively, while also dominating the paint.

Breyanna Bernard, Payton Lee and Anna Carroll were able to grab missed shots and put them back in for the Lady Devils.

Lee and Bernard sliced through Pearl River’s defense all night.

Lee had 27 points and eight rebounds, while Bernard had a double double with 26 points and 16 rebounds.

There was also a serious emphasis by the Lady Blue Devils on pushing the ball.

No matter if it was after a made or missed basket, PRC took off down the floor.

The quick transition into offense often caught Pearl River off guard and PRC was able to get some easy buckets on the break.

“The last thing we wanted to do was send the message that we were going to relax. They know the big game is looming Tuesday, so we wanted to make sure we had a lot of energy,” Head Coach Tony Labella said.

The win against Pearl River signaled the end of the regular season and now PRC will be looking ahead to the district tournament.

PRC has a first round matchup with the Picayune Lady Maroon Tide at the Lady Maroon Tide’s home gym.

The game will be the third matchup between the two teams with PRC winning both contests earlier in the season.

“I think it’s always better to come in after a couple wins. The big thing with that game is it is it’s own challenge,” Labella said.

If PRC wins they’ll advance to the district championship game and seal a playoff spot.

However, if the Lady Blue Devils were to lose to the Lady Maroon Tide, they’d have to win a consolation game in order to make it into the playoffs.

“We’re going to into the game trying to win but we know it’s going to be harder this time. The game is at their place and it’s a big advantage for them,” Labella said.

Tipoff against Picayune is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Feb. 11.