Flanagan’s 3 lifts Bulldogs over Wildcats

Melvion Flanagan's long 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds left lifted Mississippi Gulf Coast to a 65-62 win over archrival Pearl River on Monday in Poplarville.

The Bulldogs got a stop and a rebound with about 20 seconds left and didn't call timeout.

"We ran a play for Mel," Gulf Coast coach Tim Ryan said. "Champ (Ratliff) went out and set a great pick and we wound up with a mismatch. They left Mel open for the long 3, and he was 6-for-10 for the night. He played well."

Gulf Coast stayed perfect in its fifth game of the season. The game doesn't count in the MACCC standings, but it's a Region 23 win. PRCC is now 3-1.

The Bulldogs host Jones in another non-MACCC matchup Thursday. Tipoff at the Weathers-Wentzell Center is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. It's the back end of the only basketball doubleheader at Perk this season, with the women hosting Delgado at 5:30.

Flanagan (So., Peabody/Alexandria, La.) finished with 25 points to lead all scorers. Lee Flenor (So., South Miami/Miami, Fla.) had 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds, and Ratliff (So., Terry/Jackson) scored 12.

"I thought our guys played well on the defensive side," Ryan said. "Offensively, we struggled a little bit. I think we shot 39 percent for the game, but the kids played hard defensively. We held them to 35 percent in the second half. That's what won the game for us."

The Bulldogs shot 44 percent from the 3-point line, and held the Wildcats to 23.8 percent from behind the arc. They made just 2 of 11 in the second half.

Gulf Coast also had 15 steals. The Bulldogs led by 11 with 4:50 to play but saw that lead evaporate before Flanagan hit the huge shot.

"I know it's a big win for our school, and it's a big win for our team," Ryan said. "We were happy to get in there and get that W."

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